Software Agents | i3 lab

Celebrating the Success of the 2nd International Summer School on LLM-Based Agents for Software Engineering

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

From 9 to 11 September 2026, the Instituto Universitario de Tecnologías Informáticas Aplicadas and the i3 lab, with the support of the University of Extremadura, organized the 2nd International Summer School on LLM-Based Agents for Software Engineering (LLMA4SE). The event brought together researchers, professionals, and students from academia and industry to explore the rapidly evolving field of LLM-based multi-agent systems and their applications in software engineering.

On the opening day, we enjoyed three highly engaging talks:

Juan de Lara opened the Summer School with his talk, “When Models Met Agents: Reconciling Two Approaches to Automated Software Development”.
He was followed by Giovanni Rosa, who presented “Governing Code with Specification-Driven Development”.
To round off the morning, Antonio Mastropaolo presented “Measuring a Moving Target: Benchmarking Non-Deterministic Software Engineering”.

After lunch, participants attended the hands-on workshop “Specification-Driven Development”, led by Gregorio Robles. This was followed by the second part of Antonio Mastropaolo’s session, “Measuring a Moving Target: Benchmarking Non-Deterministic Software Engineering Agents”.

The day concluded with a fantastic guided tour of the Old Town of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To learn more about the first day of the Summer School, visit our previous post.

The second day continued with the following excellent talks:

Cristina Improta presented “Human vs. AI Code: Understanding Systematic Differences and Their Root Causes”.
After a short break, José Luis Redondo delivered “From Retrieval to Reason & Action: Building Language-Steerable Discovery Systems at Spotify”.
To wrap things up, Priyansh Trivedi presented “Beyond Pass Rates: Does Clean Code Matter for Coding Agents?”.

The afternoon was devoted to the hands-on workshop “Benchmarking the Quality of AI-Generated Code”, led by Pietro Liguori. Later, the social programme included a guided cultural tour of the Helga de Alvear Museum of Contemporary Art, followed by a gala dinner at Casa Palacchio Restaurant. To learn more about the second day of the Summer School, visit our previous post.

The third and final day featured the following talks:

Carlos García-Martínez first presented the theoretical foundations of his talk on “Task-Oriented Conversational Agents” and then led a short hands-on workshop on developing task-oriented conversational agents.
Phu Nguyen then presented his work on “Assurance-Driven Security Engineering and the Roles of LLM-Based Agents”.

The day—and the Summer School—concluded with the hands-on workshop “Building Cooperative LLM Agent Workflows for Anti-Pattern Detection, Code Smell and Technical Debt Resolution”, led by Karthik Shivashankar and Adela Nedisan Videsjorden. To learn more about the third day of the Summer School, visit our previous post.

We would not claim that everything went perfectly—live events always come with a few glitches—but, judging by the attendees’ satisfied faces and enthusiastic messages, we can proudly say that LLMA4SE 2026 was a resounding success. Now that we have brought this second edition to a close, we are already working on the next one to ensure that the third edition of our Summer School is just as engaging and enriching as its predecessors. Our aim is to maintain the high quality of the content and the wide range of discussions while continuing to consolidate this valuable meeting point for the community.

We would like to thank all the attendees, speakers, and participants for their enthusiasm and active involvement. Your presence and contributions were essential to the success of the Summer School. We would also like to thank the sponsors and partners who made the event possible, including the University of Extremadura, the catering team, and the camera crew.

Special thanks go to all the i3 lab team members who helped organize the Summer School. Their hard work and dedication made the event possible. From the Summer School directors, José María Conejero Manzano and Roberto Rodríguez Echeverría, to the team members who supported the logistics, coordination, and care of our participants, everyone contributed in one way or another to creating such a welcoming and stimulating environment for learning and collaboration.

Thank you all!

Are you interested in our research areas, would you like to learn more about our projects, or are you considering collaborating with us? Get in touch with our team!

Stay tuned for our upcoming announcements!

Ending on a High Note! Our Summer School Wraps Up Three Unforgettable Days of Learning and AI

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We headed into the third and final day of the second edition of our International Summer School on LLM-based Agents for Software Engineering (LLMA4SE) with a sense of accomplishment, a touch of nostalgia, and an eagerness to make the most of every remaining moment. The atmosphere highlighted the strong bonds built throughout the event among everyone in this thriving academic community.

The morning kicked off with a key focus on task-oriented conversational agents led by Carlos García-Martínez, who delivered a comprehensive two-part session. He started with a theoretical foundation covering core concepts and methodologies, followed by an interactive workshop where participants built custom task-focused agents.

Throughout his presentation, Carlos explored agent architecture and design, highlighting essential strategies for constructing efficient, context-aware assistants tailored to software development.

Next, Phu Nguyen took the stage with a captivating talk titled Assurance-Driven Security Engineering and the Roles of LLM-based Agents. Phu underscored the critical intersection between assurance-driven security engineering and LLM agents, offering rigorous approaches to tackle the industry’s pressing challenges in ethics and reliability.

After gathering for a final group lunch to swap insights on the morning’s takeaways, we transitioned into the afternoon for the school’s closing workshop. Facilitated by Karthik Shivashankar and Adela Nedisan Videsjorden, the session—Building Cooperative LLM Agent Workflows for Anti-Pattern Detection, Code Smell and Technical Debt Resolution—gave attendees direct, practical experience orchestrating collaborative agent workflows to detect anti-patterns and resolve technical debt. Three hours of focused experimentation left everyone with valuable practical takeaways.

As the workshop drew to a close, this year’s edition officially came to an end. We extend our warmest gratitude to all of our speakers for their generosity, scientific rigor, and willingness to share their expertise. Likewise, our heartfelt appreciation goes out to all participants—your relentless curiosity, thoughtful discussions, and energy truly served as the heartbeat of this event.

We bid farewell for now, confident that the connections, ideas, and collaborations sparked throughout the week will thrive and bear fruit in the coming years. Hosting such an inspiring and brilliant cohort has been a true privilege, and we look forward to crossing paths again at future events and projects!

Want to explore our research areas, learn about ongoing projects, or partner with us? Reach out to our team today!

If you have made it this far, we encourage you to read our first entry or our previous entry, or consult the summary of the second edition of the International Summer School on LLM-Based Agents for Software Engineering in Cáceres.

Talent and fun! Our Summer School shines on its second day

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Energized after yesterday’s fantastic opening day, we embarked on the second day of this second edition of our International Summer School on LLM-based Agents for Software Engineering (LLMA4SE). A strong sense of camaraderie had already settled in among participants, setting the perfect stage for another full schedule of technical talks and cultural activities.

The morning kicked off with Cristina Improta, who delivered an insightful presentation titled “Human vs. AI Code: Understanding Systematic Differences and Their Root Causes”. Cristina explored the structural differences between human-written and AI-generated code, unpacking their underlying causes and sparking a lively discussion among attendees.

Next up, José Luis Redondo brought an industry perspective with his talk, “From retrieval to reason & action: building language-steerable discovery systems at Spotify”. He shared how global-scale platforms are shifting from simple search mechanisms to language-driven systems with reasoning and action capabilities—a deeply relevant case study for everyone present.

The morning wrapped up with Priyansh Trivedi’s thought-provoking session, “Beyond Pass Rates: Does clean code matter for coding agents?”. Priyansh challenged us to look beyond functional pass rates, raising key questions about whether readability and maintainability still matter when AI generates the code.

After a great networking lunch, the afternoon was dedicated to an immersive hands-on workshop led by Pietro Liguori, titled “Benchmarking the quality of AI-generated code”. Across technical deep-dives, participants evaluated synthetic code quality firsthand, working with advanced metrics and practical scenarios in an engaging, collaborative setting.

Once the lab session concluded, we shifted gears to the evening’s social program. We visited the renowned Helga de Alvear Museum of Contemporary Art for a guided tour. Walking through its striking modern architecture and exploring landmark contemporary artwork offered a refreshing break and a wonderful cultural experience.

The day culminated in our long-awaited Gala Dinner at Restaurant Casa Palacchio. Enjoying traditional local dishes with a fine-dining twist alongside plenty of laughter and great conversations, speakers, students, and organizers came together in a historic venue that truly strengthened our growing community.

We closed Day 2 on a high note, excited for the final stretch tomorrow—packed with fresh insights and a few surprises!

Interested in our research, curious about our projects, or looking to collaborate with us? Get in touch with our team!

If you have made it this far, we encourage you to read our previous entry or our next entry, or consult the summary of the second edition of the International Summer School on LLM-Based Agents for Software Engineering in Cáceres.

The first day of our Summer School in Cáceres kicks off with resounding success!

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Excitement and eagerness to learn could be felt in the air from early morning on September 9. The second edition of our International Summer School on LLM-based Agents for Software Engineering (LLMA4SE) was underway! Or Summer School for short.

This “school” was conceived as a meeting point bringing together inquisitive minds, researchers, and software engineering and artificial intelligence enthusiasts.

The day began with the reception of participants. We noticed some familiar faces who had already attended last year, so we must not be doing too badly if they decided to join us for another edition.

This was followed by the opening ceremony, where the directors of the LLMA4SE Summer School, José María Conejero Manzano and Roberto Rodríguez Echeverría, welcomed all attendees, accompanied by the Vice-Rector for Digital Transformation, José Javier Berrocal Olmeda, representing the University of Extremadura. Together, we set the stage for what promised to be three unforgettable days of collaborative learning and professional connections.

The academic program broke the ice with an inspiring keynote address by Juan de Lara, from the Autonomous University of Madrid. In his talk, “When Models Met Agents: Reconciling two Approaches to Automated Software Development”, Juan offered a fascinating perspective on the frontiers of software engineering and the transformative impact of new technologies, captivating the entire audience and sparking a high-level debate among attendees.

Next up was Giovanni Rosa, who delved into a highly relevant topic with his keynote “Governing Code with Specification-Driven Development”. Giovanni masterfully explained how specification-driven development can ensure code quality, governance, and robustness in complex projects, leaving all attendees with valuable insights and ideas to apply to their own work.

We continued with Antonio Mastropaolo and his keynote “Measuring a Moving Target: Benchmarking Non-Deterministic Software Engineering”. Although Antonio unfortunately could not join us in person due to last-minute circumstances, we were able to connect with him via Microsoft Teams. His presentation provided a clarifying analysis of the challenges of evaluating non-deterministic systems, proving that distance is no barrier to sharing top-tier knowledge.

After recharging during lunch (delicious, by the way), the afternoon made way for practical sessions with a workshop conducted by Gregorio Robles on “Specification Driven Development”. Gregorio guided participants through highly enriching dynamics and interactions, allowing them to directly apply theoretical concepts and foster teamwork in a relaxed, participatory learning environment.

Next, we reconnected via Teams with Antonio Mastropaolo for his workshop “Measuring a Moving Target: Benchmarking Non-Deterministic Software Engineering Agents”. In this second practical session, attendees took a deep dive into the behavior and evaluation of software engineering agents, resolving questions and experimenting in real time alongside the speaker.

To wrap up this first day in the best possible way, we immersed ourselves in the historical richness of the city with a guided tour of Cáceres’ wonderful Old Town. Strolling through its cobbled streets and city walls—a filming location for part of Game of Thrones—was the perfect finishing touch to unwind at sunset, get to know each other better, and enjoy the unique charm of this World Heritage city.

We say goodbye to this first day with big smiles and great excitement to see what day two will bring. Another day full of fascinating talks awaits us, along with two social activities designed for all participants to enjoy! Let’s keep sharing great experiences together!

Are you interested in our research areas, do you want to learn more about our projects, or are you considering collaborating with us? Get in touch with our team!

If you have made it this far, we encourage you to read our next entry, or consult the summary of the second edition of the International Summer School on LLM-Based Agents for Software Engineering in Cáceres.