When Mailchimp, an Intuit company, started venturing into the world of AI-assisted development, they certainly didn’t see their experience becoming a lesson in both innovation and cautionary tales. Thanks to an AI imparted coding system they amusingly called “vibe coding,” a significant 40% increase in development speed was observed. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing, and the team rapidly found themselves confronting considerable challenges, especially over governance and the selection of the right tools.
Imagine if AI could produce perfectly structured code at the speed of light. Unfortunately, reality paints a very different and unpredictable picture. While Mailchimp’s engineers marveled at AI’s lightning-speed coding, they soon realized that it sometimes lacked reliability in terms of consistency and security. These were issues they couldn’t afford to ignore, as it risked long-term maintainability of their systems. Regardless of how much speed you’re gaining, if it’s handing you technical debts or compliance issues down the line, it isn’t worth it. Alarmed by this, the team got proactive about restructuring their governance frameworks.
During their adventure with AI, Mailchimp learned another crucial lesson – choosing the correct tools is pivotal. It was no longer about selecting the mightiest AI model, but about equipping themselves with one that would resonate with the company’s workflow, culture, and security standards. The evaluation process was tricky as they had to factor in performance metrics and how each tool would merge with their existing systems, but above all, encourage collaborative development.
In light of the challenges and victories Mailchimp navigated, it serves as a valuable lesson for other enterprises hoping to employ AI-assisted development. Proper governance that evolves with the innovation and laying down policies, code review protocols, and developer training right from the get-go could play a huge role in reducing the risks associated with AI coding.
Despite the challenges, what stands out from Mailchimp’s story is that AI in software development isn’t something to be feared. It is, indeed, a powerful tool if coupled with smart tool selection and thoughtful governance. As we see more companies adopting AI coding, it’s clear that keeping a balance between speed and structure, akin to Mailchimp’s approach, could hold the key to thriving in this new era of software innovation.
This website uses cookies.