Will AI Agents Upend The Software Development Life Cycle?
Engaging Agent Mode on active code in GitHub
May 2025 will go down in history as the month when agentic software development was truly unleashed upon the world. A significant step up from chat-based code assistants, agentic software tools have been positioned as a revolutionary change in the software development life cycle. Announcements from Microsoft (GitHub Copilot Agent Mode), Google (Jules), OpenAI (Codex) and Anthropic (Claude Agents) are all very promising. However, my conclusion is that we are not witnessing a revolution, but are simply seeing a further evolution of AI automation. And to be honest, I think that is good news.
First, let's discuss what has driven this leap forward from coding assistants. A coding assistant is essentially a bot interface to a large language model, and this mechanism has been quite beneficial to many developers. As one proof point for this, at its Build conference in May, Microsoft said that the GitHub Copilot assistant has been used by 15 million developers. (Note: Microsoft is a client of my firm, Moor Insights & Strategy.)
But three fundamental AI shifts have led to the creation of these new agentic development tools, which significantly expand the AI benefit to developers.
At the Build conference, Agent Mode in GitHub Copilot was the cornerstone of Microsoft's vision of a new SDLC. The company's demonstrations of how much more quickly work can be completed and the seamless integration between VSCode and GitHub were quite impressive — and were always likely to get the lion's share of media coverage. But what's most impressive is the overall breadth of Microsoft's announcements and the fact that Microsoft may be the only company able to execute such a vision. Here are three non-Copilot things from Microsoft that also improve the SDLC.
I applaud Microsoft for creating innovations across the whole SDLC. And I know that there are other improvements in security and software updates that I did not include. I do believe that Microsoft is likely the only company that can execute a broad vision for the SDLC since it owns some of the biggest pieces (tooling, repositories, security, collaboration) that a developer needs. That said, I'd like to offer up a couple of areas where Microsoft could look next.
I walked away from Build impressed with the technology Microsoft has available and also what is in preview. A great deal of my research over the past 12 months has been around the impact and possibilities of AI agents and agentic workflows. However, I also am not sure we have seen something revolutionary in the SDLC — at least not yet. To me, revolutionary means that it changes the game and how it's played. Evolutionary is introducing new efficiencies to the existing game, which is what I see happening so far in this space. Here are a couple of examples of what I mean.
So far, agent-based tools are more like the outsourcing trend — but that's not necessarily bad. AI is still very new and moving very fast. Revolutionizing everything would likely overwhelm many enterprises, so embracing new tools to do existing work may just be the first step in what could ultimately be a revolutionary movement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
7 minutes ago
- CNBC
Here's how to turn off public posting on the Meta AI app
AI generative images of women kissing while mud wrestling and President Donald Trump eating poop are some of the conversations users are unknowingly sharing publicly through Meta's newly launched AI app. The company rolled out the Meta AI app in April, putting it in direct competition with OpenAI's ChatGPT. But the tool has recently garnered some negative publicity and sparked privacy concerns over some of the wacky — and personal — prompts being shared publicly from user accounts. Besides the mud wrestlers and Trump eating poop, some of the examples CNBC found include a user prompting Meta's AI tool to generate photos of the character Hello Kitty "tying a rope in a loop hanging from a barn rafter, standing on a stool." Another user whose prompt was posted publicly asked Meta AI to send what appears to be a veterinarian bill to another person. "sir, your home address is listed on there," a user commented on the photo of the veterinarian bill. Prompts put into the Meta AI tool appear to show up publicly on the app by default, but users can adjust settings on the app to protect their privacy. To start, click on your profile photo on the top right corner of the screen and scroll down to data and privacy. Then head to the "suggesting your prompts on other apps" tab. This should include Facebook and Instagram. Once there, click the toggle feature for the apps that you want to keep your prompts from being shared on. After, go back to the main data and privacy page and click "manage your information." Select "make all your public prompts visible only to you" and click the "apply to all" function. You can also delete your prompt history there. Meta has beefed up its recent bets on AI to improve its offerings to compete against megacap peers and leading AI contenders, such as Google and OpenAI. This week the company invested $14 billion in startup Scale AI and tapped its CEO Alexandr Wang to help lead the company's AI strategy. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Associated Press
27 minutes ago
- Associated Press
New: Top 90 Surrogacy Agencies in USA
Surrogacy4All just released 2025 rankings of 90 best U.S. surrogacy agencies, highlighting trust, safety, speed, and clinical success for intended parents. 'With 90 agencies reviewed, our 2025 rankings empower intended parents to choose safer, faster, and more transparent surrogacy options,'— Dr. Veera Saghar, lead researcher at Surrogacy4All NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 13, 2025 / / -- Surrogacy4All Unveils 2025 Rankings of Top U.S. Surrogacy Agencies: Elevating Transparency, Safety & Success Surrogacy4All today released its much‑anticipated 2025 Surrogacy Agency Rankings, spotlighting 90 leading U.S. agencies out of over 300 USA based agencies through a data‑driven analysis focused on clinical success, match time, cost transparency, regulatory compliance, and client satisfaction. 'Choosing a surrogacy agency is more than a business decision—it's a leap of faith toward your dream of parenthood,' said Dr. Veera Saghar, lead author and reproductive medicine expert. 'Our rigorous rankings help prospective parents cut through marketing fluff and focus on what truly matters: safety, results, speed, and trust.' Top Highlights from the 2025 Report: Tier 1 Agencies: Agencies meeting the highest standards—New York State licensed, FDA registered, and physician‑owned or former surrogate/operator led—include: Conceive Abilities (NYS licensed, FDA registered, 4.1‑star Google score, founded 1996) Family Inceptions International LLC (licensed, registered, 4.9‑star, founded 2008) Happy Beginnings LLC (licensed, registered, 4.9‑star, founded 2005) (licensed, registered, 4.9‑star, physician‑owned, fastest match times) Tier 2 Agencies FDA‑registered agencies without New York licensing include: CCRM Fertility Coast to Coast Surrogacy RSMC Key Metrics & Trends Match Time: Tier 1 agencies averaged 0–1 month to secure a surrogate, compared to 6–10 months industry‑wide Cost Transparency: Surrogacy journeys now average $160K–$180K, ranging from $110K to $350K. Agency Leadership: 39 agencies hold NYS licenses; only 7 are FDA‑registered. Physician‑ or surrogate‑led teams dominate Tier 1 and Tier 2, underscoring a shift toward medically and ethically grounded leadership Click on this link to access the Ranks: About the Rankings Developed through a comprehensive review of over 90 U.S. agencies, the methodology assessed Clinical outcomes and IVF/live‐birth success rates, Surrogate placement speed, Licensing (NYS) and federal (FDA) oversight, Online reputation via Google reviews (avg. ~4.5/5), Operational longevity (46 agencies with 10+ years in business), Fee transparency, medical oversight, and legal safeguards Agencies are stratified into four tiers to guide intended parents toward compliance, trust, and care. Why We Created Tier Rankings In surrogacy, licensing and/or FDA registration matters. Without it, there's no way to know if an agency is real or just a website out to steal your money. That's why New York State began licensing surrogacy agencies — and why we highlight licensed, physician-led, FDA-registered programs in Tier 1,Tier 2 and Tier 3. ✅ Safety. ✅ Transparency. ✅ Accountability. 'After years of failed attempts, Surrogacy4All matched us to find the most incredible surrogate. Today, we're parents to a beautiful baby girl. The team walked with us every step of the way.' — Emily & David, New York About Surrogacy4All Surrogacy4All is a leading informational platform committed to helping intended parents navigate the journey toward building their families. The organization compiles independent rankings, educational content, and expert insights into transracial, LGBTQ+, and international surrogacy. For inclusion in future rankings—or to submit your agency data—contact [email protected]. For media inquiries or interviews with Dr. Saghar, please email [email protected]. Dee Gulati +1 917-601-3863 [email protected] Visit us on social media: LinkedIn Instagram Facebook X Other Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Fox News
32 minutes ago
- Fox News
In-N-Out serves up the happiest employees in the industry, says report
A new survey is highlighting a restaurant chain that provides service with a smile. In-N-Out Burger has claimed the top spot for having the happiest employees among America's major restaurant chains. Financial services company William Blair investigated Glassdoor data from the past 11 years, evaluating 530,000 reviews with about 90 different restaurant brands, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The firm found that 91% of In-N-Out employees would recommend their job to a friend. George Charlesworth, vice president of operations for In-N-Out Burger, told Fox News Digital that the California-based chain is honored "to be recognized with such a high satisfaction rating, a result that comes directly from our associate family." "Our founders, Harry and Esther Snyder, focused on serving the freshest, highest-quality products and providing the friendliest service to our customers," he also said. "From our beginning in 1948, the Snyders wanted to take the best care of not only our customers but also our associates." This marks the 10th year that the fast-food chain has landed in the top 10 for highest employee satisfaction. In 2024, 86% of In-N-Out employees were willing to recommend their job to others. Charlesworth credited the leadership of In-N-Out owner and president Lynsi Snyder. "We're committed to offering a positive work environment, higher starting wages, great benefits and opportunities to develop and grow," Charlesworth said. "Many of our associates have been with In-N-Out for decades, carrying the time-honored values and practices established by our founders, ensuring every customer and burger is consistently served with the In-N-Out signature smile," he also said. "We are deeply grateful for our exceptional family of associates and thankful for the excellent job they do." Coming in second place was Louisiana-based chicken joint Raising Cane's. About 82% of employees reported they would recommend their job to a friend. In third place was Dutch Bros., with Chuy's taking fourth place. Rounding out the top five is San Francisco Bay area-based Peet's Coffee & Tea. Fox News Digital reached out to William Blair for comment.
