Will AI make Agile obsolete at software companies?

Will AI make Agile obsolete at software companies?

I think yes. Agile, as we know it, is unlikely to survive AI.

Here’s my logic:

1. AI makes Agile ceremonies look like overhead — and overhead gets cut. Scrum ceremonies were built to manage human coordination costs. But AI reduces handoffs and automates workflows, making Agile less necessary.

2. AI eliminates the bottleneck Agile was built to solve. Agile’s promise was faster delivery. But with AI accelerating SDLC, that problem no longer exists.

3. Agile loyalty is thin anyway. One study found that 77% of companies mix Agile, Waterfall, and other methods. That’s pragmatism, not commitment.

4. Time-boxed frameworks like SAFe don't fit AI's pace. Ask AI to deliver in quarters and it would say “lol.”

But regulated industries still need structure to maintain audit trails. This means we need a leaner model, probably called “AI Agile," to govern the human/AI system. Yet it's unlikely that discreet scrum roles will be required to build and maintain such a system.

So…if your paycheck depends on Scrum, what's your plan B?

If this question feels overwhelming, book a call with me at https://calendly.com/rachel-stillhuman/get-started-call.