paper: columbia

Vision of a new SDLC that is powered end to end by AI.

paper details

abstract: 

As AI continues to advance and impact every phase of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) a need for a new way of building software will emerge. By analyzing the factors that influence the current state of the SDLC and how those will change with AI we propose a new model of development.  This white paper proposes the emergence of a fully AI-native SDLC, where AI is integrated seamlessly into every phase of development, from planning to deployment. We introduce the V-Bounce model, an adaptation of the traditional V-model that incorporates AI from end to end. The V-Bounce model leverages AI to dramatically reduce time spent in implementation phases, shifting emphasis towards requirements gathering, architecture design, and continuous validation. This model redefines the role of humans from the primary implementers to being primarily validators and verifiers with AI acting as implementation engines.

core question: 

In this paper we make three key assumptions derived from current trends and research in AI-assisted software development:
  • Code generation becomes near instantaneous and cost-effective: Recent advancements in large language models have demonstrated the ability to generate high-quality code rapidly and accurately (Chen et al.).
  • Natural language becomes the primary programming interface: Studies have shown increasing success in translating natural language descriptions into executable code, suggesting a future where programming could be primarily driven by natural language inputs (Xu et al.).
  • Human roles shift from creators to verifiers: As AI takes on more of the code generation tasks, human developers' roles are likely to evolve towards verification, high-level design, and strategic decision-making (Wessel et al.).
Using these as corner stones, the Columbia paper looks to envision a new SDLC driven at its core by AI.

The AI-Native Software Development Lifecycle: A Theoretical and Practical New Methodology

The AI-Native Software Development Lifecycle: A Theoretical and Practical New Methodology

Full whitepaper available now!