10 technical talks I’m excited about at GitHub Universe 2026

1. Github Universe 2026 attendee identifies key topics for the conference, focusing on agent memory, evaluation, permissions, JavaScript tooling, and software that works with unreliable internet access.

2. Karen Li and Leo Balter from Github will discuss the behind-the-scenes processes involved in running npm install, answering questions about npm audit limitations and the role of package provenance and OpenID Connect.

3. Researchers Cooper Nederhood and Alejandro Carderera from Github present a benchmark for GitHub Copilot's memory retention, exploring which context should be given and what should be ignored.

4. Christopher Harrison from Github discusses the importance of distributing context consistently across a team, breaking down the roles of different tools and how to use them effectively.

5. Nick Taylor from Pomerium demonstrates an identity-aware proxy that adds per-identity authorization to hosted MCP servers, ensuring fine-grained authorization without changing the upstream server.

6. Walker Chabbott from Github and Julia Kasper from Microsoft reveal how GitHub Copilot evaluates models in production, highlighting the metrics that matter and those that should be avoided.

7. Achin Gupta from Intuit and Divya Mahajan from Amazon present a new approach to AI-generated code verification, emphasizing deterministic controls that separate investigation from hallucination.

8. Steve Glass and Greg Ose from Github map supply chain attack techniques to GitHub Actions controls, helping attendees understand where to place defenses in their pipelines.

9. Alexander Lichter from VoidZero walks through Vite+, an open source CLI for managing the JavaScript toolchain, highlighting what it replaces, what needs to be managed separately, and what's on the roadmap.

10. Alex Junior Antwi from Braveon AI shares lessons learned from building tech in low-connectivity communities, emphasizing the importance of designing for the least-connected users.