Embedded software firms prepare for AI agents to reshape teams and tasks
Developing a Roadmap to an AI-first Organization: A Case Study in Embedded Software Development
Software EngineeringArtificial Intelligence
Summary
AI tools are becoming more than just helpers for programmers—they are starting to take on tasks like planning and checking software development work on their own. This change is important for companies that build software embedded in devices, which require very careful quality checks and long-term support. The authors studied a large company moving to put AI agents at the center of its work. They found that AI will change how teams are structured, what skills people need, and how organizations plan their work, and they created a detailed plan to help the company become AI-first.
What this means in practice
- •For embedded software teams: Plan how to reorganize teams and roles to integrate autonomous AI agents for software development and verification tasks.
- •For software development managers: Develop strategies for adopting AI-first processes that maintain quality and traceability in safety-critical embedded software projects.
Authors
Viktor Kjellberg, Srijita Basu, Simin Sun, Farnaz Fotrousi, Miroslaw Staron
Abstract
The emergence of AI agents is expected to reshape software engineering by moving beyond AI as assistants towards systems capable of planning, executing, and evaluating development tasks with increasing autonomy. This transition is particularly significant for embedded software organizations, where strict requirements for quality, traceability, verification, and long-term maintainability often apply. This paper presents a case study of a large embedded systems company and its transition toward becoming an AI-first organization. Through a mixed method, we analyzed data collected from a semi-structured workshop with 40 participants, including scrum masters, architects, management, and product owners. The findings show that the participants expect agentic AI to affect team structure, required competencies, organizational strategies, and developers' roles within the organization. Based on these findings, the paper discusses implications for federated AI team formation, human-in-the-loop practices in such an organization, and the sustainable adoption of AI agents in embedded software engineering. We also present a concrete roadmap for the organization towards becoming an AI-first organization.