Keeping Your Code, Dependencies, and Runtime Up to Date

AI is increasingly generating large portions of our code, but does that mean we can stop worrying about keeping our software up to date? Unfortunately not. In practice, AI-generated solutions often rely on outdated libraries, insecure dependencies, or deprecated APIs.

In this session, we’ll explore why maintaining up-to-date software is still a critical responsibility, and how neglecting it can introduce risk, complexity, and technical debt. You’ll learn why minimizing dependencies is just as important as updating them, and how both practices contribute to more secure and maintainable systems.

We’ll go beyond theory with practical, hands-on approaches using tools like Renovate and OpenRewrite to automate dependency management and code modernization. While the core principles apply across all programming languages, some examples use Java-related tooling. No prior Java experience is required; I’ll walk you through everything you need to understand.