Aren’t we all tired of AI?
Regular 50 minute session for SQLBits 2026Thursday - 23 Apr 2026 - 11:20 - 12:10 AuditoriumTL; DR
This session focuses on efficient, responsible use of AI in the modern workplace, highlighting where AI adds measurable value and where it doesn’t. You’ll learn how to think critically about AI features, how to avoid over-automation, and how to use AI to amplify expertise rather than dilute it. Grant, Ben and Kellyn will also address common fears around job displacement and explain why AI succeeds best in the real world when paired with human judgment, context, and accountability.
This session is designed for engineers, DBAs, and technical leaders who want clarity vs. hype on how AI fits into real environments today.
Session Details
AI is everywhere in today’s world. It’s embedded into tools, workflows, and platforms and yet according to MIT, 95% of generative AI pilots are failing (https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/mit-report-95-percent-generative-ai-pilots-at-companies-failing-cfo/) How often is AI genuinely solving problems, or is it just the latest layer of complexity wrapped in hype?
In this technical session, Grant Fritchey, and Kellyn Gorman take a practical, no-nonsense look at AI as what it really is to the technologist today: another tool in the engineering toolbox.
Drawing from real-world experience, they explore how AI can be used to improve productivity, reduce cognitive load, and streamline everyday tasks without replacing the people who really understand the systems.
This session focuses on efficient, responsible use of AI in the modern workplace, highlighting where AI adds measurable value and where it doesn’t. You’ll learn how to think critically about AI features, how to avoid over-automation, and how to use AI to amplify expertise rather than dilute it. Grant and Kellyn will also address common fears around job displacement and explain why AI succeeds best in the real world when paired with human judgment, context, and accountability.
This session is designed for engineers, DBAs, and technical leaders who want clarity vs. hype on how AI fits into real environments today.
In this technical session, Grant Fritchey, and Kellyn Gorman take a practical, no-nonsense look at AI as what it really is to the technologist today: another tool in the engineering toolbox.
Drawing from real-world experience, they explore how AI can be used to improve productivity, reduce cognitive load, and streamline everyday tasks without replacing the people who really understand the systems.
This session focuses on efficient, responsible use of AI in the modern workplace, highlighting where AI adds measurable value and where it doesn’t. You’ll learn how to think critically about AI features, how to avoid over-automation, and how to use AI to amplify expertise rather than dilute it. Grant and Kellyn will also address common fears around job displacement and explain why AI succeeds best in the real world when paired with human judgment, context, and accountability.
This session is designed for engineers, DBAs, and technical leaders who want clarity vs. hype on how AI fits into real environments today.
3 things you'll get out of this session
1. AI is a useful tool, not a magic solution and most pilots fail because it’s applied without clear purpose.
2. Practical, responsible AI use can enhance productivity and reduce cognitive load without replacing human expertise.
3. Critical evaluation is essential to avoid over‑automation and ensure AI adds measurable value.
2. Practical, responsible AI use can enhance productivity and reduce cognitive load without replacing human expertise.
3. Critical evaluation is essential to avoid over‑automation and ensure AI adds measurable value.
Speakers
Grant Fritchey's other proposed sessions for 2026
Inside SQL Server 2025 Part 1 - 2026
Inside SQL Server 2025 Part 2 - 2026
Intelligent Query Processing: From Insight to Impact - 2026
Query Performance Enhancements in SQL Server 2025 - 2026
Grant Fritchey's previous sessions
Managing the Challenge of Monitoring Growing, Multi-platform Database Estates
Our session will present best practices and real-world examples for monitoring in multi-platform environments.
The New Database Landscape - Revealing Shifts and Charting the Next Horizon
From personal journeys between database platforms, to insights from Redgate's customer base, and findings from our 2024 State of the Database Landscape report, in this session you'll hear a variety of viewpoints about the evolving world of databases.
Fundamentals of Git
Learn the fundamentals of how to work within Git in this 20 minute session.
Efficiency up, failed releases down; compliant production data for your test and dev environments
In this session, we’ll tackle the challenges that come with getting yours hands on quality data for test, QA, and CI practices.
Benefits of Using Version Control In Database Development
Version control provides benefits beyond DevOps automation.
Yes, You Should Monitor Azure SQL Database
Learn what is necessary to keep an eye on your Azure SQL Database in order to better tune it and reduce costs.
SQL Injection: How it Works, How to Stop It
Learn what SQL Injection is and all the mechanisms you should employ to help stop it.
Learn to Read Execution Plans
Learn how to understand and read execution plans.
Environment Provisioning: The Third Age
Step back through the ages and explore how database teams have approached creating environments for dev and test. Learn how, in the new age of provisioning, databases are delivered safer, faster, and more efficiently
DevOps and Data
Learn about data management and DevOps for the modern business.
Exploring Execution Plans
Learn the details behind how to read execution plans.
Statistics, Row Counts, Execution Plans, and Query Tuning
Row counts are the primary factor for choices made by the query optimizer. This session explores how row counts affects query performance.
Faster Provisioning with SQL Clone
Find out how the new SQL Clone enables self-service easy automation of database copies, near-instant at the time of need, using a fraction of the disk space, and allowing quick reversion to a baseline.
Automating Your Database Deployments
Deploying your database changes to production can be nerve-wracking. We'll discuss methods that take the stress out of the process by ensuring that you practise your deployments using continuous integration before you ever get near production
Getting Started Reading Execution Plans
Learn where to start reading execution plans and how to interpret them in order to understand how to tune poorly performing queries.
Monitoring Windows Azure SQL Server VMs and SQL Databases
Once you've decided to move to Azure with any of your databases, you're going to need to know how they're performing, this session shows you.
Query Tuning in the Clouds
Just because you're using an Azure SQL database does not mean you can avoid tuning queries. This session will introduce you to the tools you have available to identify poor performing queries, understand, and fix them. All in the cloud.
