Building apps will never be the same again: welcome to AI-DLC

AI is no longer just accelerating how we write code — it's reshaping the entire software development lifecycle. As AI becomes a first-class participant in delivery, traditional role boundaries are dissolving: product managers are building working prototypes, developers are making architectural decisions alongside AI, and QA engineers are contributing earlier, influencing design instead of validating after the fact. Speaker Romain Jourdan, Chief Technologist at AWS, introduced AI-DLC: a new framework for software delivery built around three phases — Inception, Construction, and Operations. Drawing on Amazon's real-world implementation, the session covered the Plan–Execute pattern that preserves human oversight in AI-driven systems, and why traditional sprints give way to "bolts" when development cycles compress from weeks to hours.

A panel followed, moderated by Natalie Delatte of Pictet Asset Management, with Edwige Fiaclou of Swissquote and Emilien Guenichon of Pictet Tech Luxembourg joining Romain to work through what an AI-augmented engineering team actually looks like from inside three very different organisations.

Hosted by Pictet at Route des Acacias, with thanks to Choisel Fogang and Chloe Koos of Pictet Tech.