Insights from the ThoughtWorks Utah Retreat
Birgitta, Heinrich and Sven look back at the latest developments in AI-assisted development, tools and practices which emerged in 2025 and work for teams. Furthermore they discuss a few topics like "where does the rigor go in AI assistance" from the future of software development retreat in Utah
Chapter Marks
-00:00:00 Intro & Welcome
-00:03:35 The State of AI-Assisted Coding in 2026: Agents, Subagents, …
-00:09:00 Context Engineering: The Real Lever
-00:19:00 Swarms and Agent Teams
-00:28:04 Platform Teams & Organizational Enablement
-00:34:15 Harness Engineering, Rigor & Quality
-00:49:49 Risk Thinking, Small Batches & Feedback Loops
-00:59:58 Cognitive Load & The “AI Vampire”
-01:10:34 AI for Migration & Modernization
-01:17:13 Culture Wars: Enthusiasts vs. Skeptics
Links
