Pragmatism in Practice From bronze bullets to big impact: AI-first software delivery
Jul 30, 2025
Rachel Laycock, the CTO at ThoughtWorks, brings her expertise in AI-first software delivery to the conversation. She dives into the transformative potential of AI in the software development lifecycle, emphasizing how it can tackle modernization challenges and reshape team dynamics. Laycock discusses the importance of adopting an AI-first mindset, navigating technical debt, and balancing speed with quality in development. She also advocates for flexibility in strategies and prioritizing essential projects to thrive in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
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AI-First Rethinks Software Lifecycle
- AI-first software delivery means rethinking workflows and roles across the software lifecycle from the start.
- It's not just coding assistance, but changing how everyone from analysts to UX designers work with AI tools.
Current AI Adoption Landscape
- Organizations are at varied stages of AI adoption, with ThoughtWorks mostly in the early majority phase.
- Tool evolution matters, as newer generation tools offer capabilities that overcome early skepticism from initial tools like GitHub Copilot.
Manage AI Risks with Guardrails
- Engage security, compliance, and procurement teams early to manage AI tool risks.
- Set up experimentation guardrails so teams can safely test AI tools and learn fast.