Page 1 of 4

CALL FOR PAPERS

May 11th, 2026 | Grand Rapids, MI

Merge: Connecting Code, Design, and Product is where product managers, designers, and developers come together to explore the overlaps between their disciplines and build exceptional software as one team.

Our theme for 2026, AI at Work: Practical Intelligence for Software Teams focuses on the real-world integration of AI into how we build software — not the hype, but what actually works. Through engaging talks and networking, Merge empowers teams to navigate the evolving landscape of AI-assisted development, design, and product management to craft better software, and better outcomes, together.

Are you working at the intersection of AI and software development? Merge looking for talks that explore how teams are actually using AI in their workflows, from code review to prototyping, from product discovery to accessible design.

Speaking formats

Main Stage Talks (45 minutes): Deep dives into your experiences, methodologies, and lessons learned

Lightning Talks (5 minutes): Got a 5-minute lightning talk that doesn’t fit the AI theme? Submit it anyway—we love a good ‘extracurricular’ lightning talk to keep the energy high and the ideas flowing.

Example Topics

• Designing for Uncertainty: UX Patterns for AI-Powered Features

• AI-Assisted Code Review: What Actually Works

• AI Pair Programming: Lessons from Real Teams

• AI-Powered Prototyping: Accelerating the Design-Dev Cycle

• When Not to Use AI: A Product Decision Framework

• AI Product Discovery: Using LLMs to Understand Your Users

• Accessibility and AI: Building Inclusive Intelligent Interfaces

• The Human Review Layer: Designing Oversight Into AI Workflows

Remember, these are just examples. We encourage you to surprise us and share your unique perspective and experiences that could help teams work better with AI. Whether you’re a product manager, designer, developer, or someone who works across these disciplines, we want to hear your story. We’re looking for real experiences and practical insights, not sales pitches. While we love hearing about tools and technologies you’ve used, talks focused primarily on promoting a specific product or service won’t be accepted.

Speakers will receive complimentary admission and an invitation to our speaker dinner.

Merge is a regional, in-person conference, but we’d love to connect with speakers based in the US and Canada who can join us in Grand Rapids.

Submit your presentation no later than March 8, 2026! You’ll hear back from us by March 16th, 2026.