AI-Driven Development Lifecycle (AI-DLC): Reimagining Software Engineering for the AI Era
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63282/3050-9262.IJAIDSML-V7I1P145Keywords:
AI-DLC, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Development Lifecycle, Mob Programming, Agile, Devops, ProductivityAbstract
The software industry stands at an inflection point. Artificial intelligence is no longer a peripheral tool it is becoming a central collaborator in how software is conceived, built, and operated. Yet most organizations are failing to capture the full potential of AI in their development workflows, trapped between two anti-patterns: over-reliance on autonomous AI and under-utilization of AI for narrow tasks. The AI-Driven Development Lifecycle (AI-DLC) is a transformative methodology introduced by AWS in 2025 that reimagines software engineering by positioning AI as a core collaborator throughout the entire development process. Based on over 100 customer experiments across industries and geographies, AI-DLC has demonstrated 10–15x productivity gains, 40–60% improvement in development velocity, and 40–60% reduction in defects, with verified ROI of 300–500% within 12 months [1][2].
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