AI guidance for the people who build software

AI is changing how software gets built — and most teams are figuring it out alone. I help developers and engineering leaders adopt AI with confidence, from weekly analysis to hands-on workshops to strategic guidance, grounded in 25 years of production software experience.

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Published Author
Clean Architecture with Python
AWS
Former GenAI Innovation Lab Lead
Community
Portland AI Engineers, 1,100+ members
Track Record
150+ weekly editions

From signal to strategy

01

Newsletter

Weekly AI insights for developers

02

Courses

Self-paced learning to go deeper

03

Workshops

Live, instructor-led sessions

04

Advisory

Scoped engagements for engineering leadership

Stay calibrated

Every week, I dig into what's actually working in the new AI abstraction layer so you can make informed decisions without drowning in hype.

Monday AI Review

Signal filtering—what matters this week in AI for developers.

Deep Dives & Insights

Tech Explorations & Industry Analysis. Go deeper than the headlines.

What makes it different

Production-informed, not demo magic
Written by someone who shipped code for 25+ years (ex AWS | Lululemon | Nike)
No hype — grounded in hands-on research and experimentation

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Workshops

Build with AI, not just talk about it. Focused workshops that build practical, hands-on skills.

Live, instructor-led sessions (0.5–2 days). On-site or remote.

“I teach the concepts and techniques. You adapt them to your context.”

  • Prompt Engineering Fundamentals
  • Building Production LLM Applications
  • AI-Assisted Development for Teams
  • Evaluating AI Tools & Platforms
  • Custom workshops for your context
Sam Keen speaking at a conference
Start a conversation

Or email sam@alteredcraft.com

AI Strategy Advisory

Scoped consulting engagements with defined deliverables. I help engineering leaders make confident AI decisions backed by real production experience.

AI Readiness Assessment

Evaluate your team's current state and identify high-impact opportunities.

Tool & Platform Selection

Navigate the vendor landscape with structured evaluation criteria.

Adoption Roadmap

Practical, phased plan for integrating AI into your development workflow.

Architecture Review

Technical review of AI integration patterns and production considerations.

How it works

  • Discovery call to understand your context
  • Scoped engagement with clear deliverables
  • Hands-on analysis, not slide decks
  • Actionable recommendations your team can execute
Schedule a strategy call

Or email sam@alteredcraft.com to start a conversation.

Sam Keen

Sam Keen

I've spent 25+ years building software at companies like Nike, Lululemon, AWS, and a handful of startups. I led the GenAI Innovation Lab at AWS, where I helped teams figure out what's real and what's noise in the AI space.

In 2025, I went full-time on researching how teams build with AI. Not building AI—building with AI. Understanding how these tools actually change the way we write software, lead teams, and ship products.

Altered Craft is where I share what I learn. Through the newsletter, workshops, and advisory work, I help developers and engineering leaders cut through the hype and build with confidence.

I also co-founded Portland AI Engineers, a community of 1,100+ practitioners exploring practical AI together.