Episode Details

How is AI changing the way businesses plan, build and use software? In this episode of the the DevReady Podcast, Andrew Romeo, CEO and Co-Founder of Aerion Technologies and  Co-Founder of DevReady.Ai,  speaks with Courtney Smith, CEO of Strategy & Innovation at Kynection, founder of the Firefly Initiative and director of Quallogi. Drawing on more than 25 years in technology, Courtney shares lessons from building GPS hardware, mobile applications and enterprise software. Together, they explore rapid prototyping, AI adoption and the decisions businesses face as technology moves faster.

Courtney explains how Kynection helps businesses in civil construction, mining and transport manage complex operations and costly assets. His experience has shown that a successful software rollout needs an engaged champion within the client’s organisation, regular stakeholder feedback and an agreed definition of success. Delivering a useful result early gives teams something concrete to assess and helps maintain momentum as the solution develops.

As AI speeds up software development, Andrew and Courtney discuss the work required to keep outcomes reliable. Human testing and user feedback remain central to understanding whether a system solves the right problem. Courtney describes how Kynection balances experimentation with stable deployment and builds AI capability across its team. Andrew shares Aerion Technologies’ experience of reviewing and validating a growing volume of AI-assisted code, alongside the value of sharing lessons between colleagues.

The conversation turns to clickable prototypes and their role in software planning. Courtney explains that written requirements can leave room for different interpretations, which may only become clear when a client sees the first version of a product. Rapid prototypes allow teams to show an interface sooner, walk stakeholders through it and uncover feedback while there is still time to shape the design. Capturing the underlying business requirements remains essential.

Courtney also describes how AI has changed technical hiring at Kynection, where candidates may be asked to demonstrate their development process using AI tools. From there, he and Andrew consider where businesses should keep their data and intellectual property as they adopt AI. They discuss the potential for smaller models to handle routine processes, such as invoice processing, and for local AI tools to give organisations more control over their information.

Looking further ahead, Courtney shares experiments ranging from studying workplace interruptions to exploring robots for construction site safety checks. He encourages business owners to preserve operational knowledge and make time to explore practical uses for emerging technology. Andrew and Courtney also consider how autonomous vehicles could affect mobility and car ownership, and how AI might help people connect ideas across different fields.

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