AI & Agile: Why “The Partner You Didn’t Ask For” Is The Partner You Need
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining Dead Sprint Radio alongside David Borzillo for an episode all about the collision of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Agile. The title says it all – “AI: The Partner You Didn’t Ask For (But Might Need).” And from what I experienced, “need” might be the understatement of the year.
The False Narrative: “AI is Killing Agile”
One of the most hotly debated threads we dug into was a recent viral LinkedIn post declaring “AI is killing Agile,” claiming the best way forward is to abandon Agile entirely in favor of Waterfall. As panelists, we all fundamentally disagreed – and had real-world evidence to prove it.
Here’s what’s really happening:
AI doesn’t require Waterfall. In fact, AI thrives in environments with short feedback loops and iteration – the core of Agile! Attempting to force upfront, rigid documentation slows value delivery and undermines what AI does best: pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and learning through iteration.
Agile teams are evolving, not dying. Using AI, we’re speeding up refinement cycles, getting better at defining crisp acceptance criteria, and focusing on outcomes over endless design docs.
AI exposes weak Agile practices. If you’re “faking” Agile – drifting without clear requirements or focus – AI will give you fast (and possibly brutal) feedback. But that’s a gift: it lets us course-correct sooner, not later.
How We’re Actually Using AI in Agile
I shared my daily reality at SMB Accelerators – showing companies how to reclaim 10–20 hours a week using smart automation with AI - and Dave, Brent, and Hoz discussed their experiences and what they use it for in this context. It’s not about replacing careful planning, but about doing more with less:
Tooling for speed, not shortcuts: We use AI to quickly generate backlogs, refine user stories, and even simulate tricky stakeholder scenarios so teams are better prepared for real-life challenges.
Lean documentation, focused intent: The best results come when you give AI a role, define its goals, and provide clear criteria – not drowning it (or your teams) in documentation bloat.
“Out of college intern” analogy: Today’s AI should be trusted to get you an 80% answer fast, freeing you up for higher-level thinking and validation – but you must check its work (or risk surprises).
Human judgment is essential: AI is a phenomenal enabler, but there’s no substitute for creativity, empathy, and ethical discretion. As the episode explored, stories like the tragic misuse of chatbots underline why humans must remain in the loop.
The Real Risks – and Unmatched Opportunities
Is it “cheating” to use AI in Agile? Only if you want to get left behind. As the guys said, we don’t call it cheating when developers use better tools or when architects deploy fixes faster. This is the new reality: outcomes > tradition.
But caution is warranted:
Ethics and guidelines: It’s up to leaders, teams, and the tech community to put up proper guardrails and constantly review where responsibility lies.
Skill evolution: There’s a risk that over-reliance on AI makes us “worse drivers” when the autopilot switches off; we need deliberate practice in both human and AI-augmented techniques.
Creativity and empathy remain irreplaceable. No model replaces the lived experience, emotional intelligence, or ethical reasoning of a thoughtful human.
Final Thoughts
I’m “cautiously optimistic” about AI’s future in Agile and business at large. We’re living through the “froth” phase – excitement, hype, and churn – but real value is already being created for those able to balance speed with sanity.
If you’re interested in reclaiming your time, scaling your business, or just want to talk AI strategy:
Reach out at smbaccelerators.com
Connect with me on LinkedIn
Or book a time to chat
And for anyone still on the fence: AI isn’t replacing you. But someone using AI might. Time to become partners.
What did you think of the episode? Drop your comments below or let’s keep the conversation going. Thanks again to the Dead Sprint Radio crew for an honest, thought-provoking discussion!
