CroAI Day 0 @ The Geek Gathering 2026
Are you interested in how artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing specialized industries, software engineering, and the future of tech careers? Join us for a relaxed CroAI Day 0 meetup in Osijek – the official warm-up for this year’s The Geek Gathering conference!
📅 When: Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at 6:00 PM
📍 Where: Caffe bar “Trica”, Osijek
🎟️ Entry: Free with mandatory registration (limited number of spots!)
📅 Program
6:00 – 7:00 PM | Keynote: AI Below the Surface: Challenges in Marine Geophysical Data Processing
Speaker: Andrijana Horvat (R&D Lead @ Hidrocibalae)
Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of marine geophysical data processing, bringing high expectations for automation, faster interpretation, and reduced processing time. However, applying AI to real geophysical datasets presents distinct challenges that differ significantly from controlled AI environments. Through practical examples of object detection in SSS and SAS data, Andrijana will explore where AI delivers measurable value, where its limitations become apparent, and how hardware demands, costs, and human expertise shape successful automation.
The key question: How do we balance AI-based methods, conventional algorithms, and human expertise without compromising data quality and scientific validity?
7:00 – 8:00 PM | Panel: Agentic AI, Software Engineering, and the Future of Jobs
AI is a technology like any other, and a very useful one. With agentic AI tools, developers can reimplement legacy systems, catch bugs, and navigate unfamiliar codebases faster than ever. But as coding without AI agents becomes rare, critical engineering and human questions emerge: Are we facing skill atrophy among developers, and why are some companies already pulling back on hiring junior engineers?
The question is no longer what AI can do, but how we will guide and educate the people who use it. Together with leaders from robotics, backend development, software architecture, and hardware technology, we want to explore how to ensure AI creates fair opportunities for the next generation.
Panelists:
Moderator: Tihomira Klobučar (Program Manager @ Orqa FPV)
Slaven Stražanac (Robot Interface Team Lead and Product Owner @ Gideon)
Borna Matijanić (Backend team lead @ Netgen)
Miroslav Rozić (Chief Technology Officer @ Protostar Labs)
From 8:00 PM | Networking
Please note that the working language of this event is Croatian.