How AI agents actually make modernization work

June 23, 2026



AI has made modernization a hot topic. But very little of the conversation is addressing the root cause of the 70% failure rate: the long, costly testing cycles that slow progress.

So while AI is certainly increasing speed, it also raises critical questions: how do you trust what it produces, and how do you use it to deliver real value?

This webinar addresses the two failure patterns in modernization efforts: code-based approaches, and the emerging business rules extraction (BRE) approach. Neither transpiling code nor capturing rules leads to success under real conditions: this gap between understanding and proof is where modernization slows down.

Learn how a test-driven, behavioral approach closes this gap by combining AI-assisted modernization with continuous verification of system behavior, using real data to prove equivalence at every step. By focusing on validation first, teams move faster, minimize rework, and reduce disruption by proving every output against real system behavior - resolving the tradeoff between risk and speed. When ‘should do’ becomes easy to do,  the only question left is: why not?

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In attendance

Some friendly faces you can expect to see at this event:

    • Arun Batchu

      Moderator

      Arun Batchu is the Founder and Principal Advisor at Netrii, an idea and business incubator, and co-founder and director of StoneArch AI, a collective of AI practitioners focused on delivering business value. Additionally, Arun serves as an AI instructor at the University of Minnesota’s Technology Leadership Institute helping upskill Minnesota’s workforce in applied AI skills.

      Formerly a VP Analyst at Gartner, he spent years analyzing trends in modernization and AI.
      Leveraging deep technical expertise in mainframe systems—including COBOL, CICS, JCL, and IMS/DB2—Arun offers a practitioner's perspective on legacy modernization. A recognized industry analyst and frequent moderator on AI and mainframe transformation, he actively evaluates emerging innovators, notably contributing to Gartner’s 2025 “Cool Vendor” nominations.

    • Edward Hieatt

      COO, Mechanical Orchard
      I love helping companies improve their business by becoming great at software development. After my experience with startups, I was drawn to consulting, helping to grow Pivotal Labs from a handful of like-minded engineers into a respected business. As Pivotal formed and grew its developer platform product, I oversaw the rapid expansion of the Customer Success organization to thousands of technical staff globally while pioneering techniques with the subscription business model. I oversaw the integration and four subsequent years of operation as VMware Tanzu, following Pivotal’s IPO and acquisition.

    • David Yahalom

      Group Product Manager, Google
      David Yahalom leads application modernization at Google Cloud, focusing on the use of Gemini and generative AI to transform legacy systems—including mainframe, .NET, and Java—into cloud-native solutions. He brings over two decades of experience in product leadership, cloud architecture, and enterprise data platforms, with deep expertise across database and cloud technologies, and a track record of building solutions that accelerate modernization and cloud adoption.

    • Michael Ljung

      SVP of Service Lines, Americas, Thoughtworks
      Michael Ljung is a Senior Vice President at Thoughtworks, leading Service Lines across the Americas in Modernization, Cloud, Data & AI, and Customer Experience. He previously served as the Global Managing Partner at Accenture, overseeing the Software Engineering business, and played a key role in the successful rescue of healthcare.gov. Michael's journey began with a B.S. in Computer Science from Yale University, complemented by an Executive Mini-MBA from Northwestern University. As a strategic advisor, he continues to consult on business and technology strategies while guest lecturing at several prestigious universities.