AI-First

Is It Too Late to Coin a New AI Term?

At Southleft, we’ve been buzzing with excitement about our growing focus on AI services. From AI-driven front-end development and consulting to building AI-powered products and integrating intelligent features into existing systems, the possibilities feel endless.

But our recent All-Hands meeting revealed something even more exciting: the introduction of an AI-first mindset.

What Is AI-First?

Simply put, AI-first is a shift in how we approach problem-solving and development. It’s about making AI our first tool of choice – not to replace our skills, but to enhance them.

As developers, we’re moving beyond traditional workflows. Instead of writing every line of code ourselves, we’re becoming AI prompt engineers, crafting sequences of prompts to guide AI tools toward generating efficient, functional, and scalable solutions.

This doesn’t mean we just take the first output and run with it. Nor does it mean relying on AI for 100% of the work. What it does mean is this:

• AI as our assistant. We pair our expertise with AI’s capabilities to bounce ideas, create boilerplates, or tackle repetitive tasks.
• AI to boost efficiency. The goal is to generate high-quality results faster, freeing up our time for strategy and innovation.
• AI as a collaborator. It’s not about AI replacing developers; it’s about developers wielding AI like a finely tuned tool.

A Team That’s All In

I’ll admit, I was nervous about introducing the AI-first concept. But the team surprised me. They embraced it with enthusiasm, understanding the potential to not only improve workflows but also redefine what we can deliver for our clients.

That said, this shift comes with guardrails. Resources are revenue generators, so we have to be mindful of where their time is spent. AI doesn’t always give us the exact output we need on the first or even the 50th try.

We’ve established a best practice: if AI isn’t yielding results after 45 minutes to an hour, developers are encouraged to start manually tackling the problem. From there, AI can assist in smaller, iterative ways. This ensures we stay efficient and avoid getting bogged down in endless prompt refinements.

AI Beyond Development

AI-first isn’t limited to our developers. It extends to our Project Management and Operations teams, too. We’re leveraging AI agents to streamline templated and repetitive tasks. By automating patterns and workflows, we’re freeing up time for think tanks and workshops—allowing us to continuously refine and innovate how we work.

We’re also forming a new Efficiency Committee to formalize this approach (more on this in an upcoming post). This team will define what AI-first means for all departments and create guidelines for adopting AI across the company.

What AI-First Is (And Isn’t)

Let’s clear up some misconceptions.

What AI-first isn’t:

• Blindly taking the first AI output.
• Expecting 100% production-ready code from AI alone.
• Automating every aspect of a project or creating whole applications purely through AI.

What AI-first is:

• Making AI the first step in tackling tasks, bugs, and ideation.
• Using AI to assist developers in generating boilerplates, brainstorming ideas, and refining solutions.
• A collaborative process where AI and humans work together to create the best possible outcomes.

The Journey Ahead

There’s a lot happening in the world of AI, and we’re all learning together. At Southleft, we’re excited about what’s next. The landscape is evolving, and we’re evolving with it.

If you’re curious about how we’re embracing AI-first or want to explore ways to make AI work for your business, let’s chat. It’s been a lot of what I’ve been thinking (and talking) about lately, and I’d love to share more.

The ride is just beginning and we’re thrilled to be part of it.