cs.SESep 25, 2026

Developing a Roadmap to an AI-first Organization: A Case Study in Embedded Software Development

Authors: Viktor Kjellberg, Srijita Basu, Simin Sun, Farnaz Fotrousi, Miroslaw Staron

Organizations: University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology

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Abstract

The emergence of AI agents is expected to reshape software engineering by moving beyond AI as assistants towards systems capable of planning, executing, and evaluating development tasks with increasing autonomy. This transition is particularly significant for embedded software organizations, where strict requirements for quality, traceability, verification, and long-term maintainability often apply. This paper presents a case study of a large embedded systems company and its transition toward becoming an AI-first organization. Through a mixed method, we analyzed data collected from a semi-structured workshop with 40 participants, including scrum masters, architects, management, and product owners. The findings show that the participants expect agentic AI to affect team structure, required competencies, organizational strategies, and developers' roles within the organization. Based on these findings, the paper discusses implications for federated AI team formation, human-in-the-loop practices in such an organization, and the sustainable adoption of AI agents in embedded software engineering. We also present a concrete roadmap for the organization towards becoming an AI-first organization.

Figures & tables

QuestionType
If you were to compare generative AI in SE to something, what would it be?Multiple choice
If your AI assistant (Claude Code) worked on your project for one week, what would you need to do after?Ranking
If you encountered a defect in AI-generated code, what do you do?Multiple choice
How would you like to see AI in your team?Multiple choice
Which technology will have the most impact?Score 0–100
Which roles will need to adapt the most (re-skilling)?Score 0–100
Table 1: Mentimeter questions used and their type
Figure 1: Mapping: Themes to Codes
Figure 2: Roadmap for transitioning to an AI-first organization. The x-axis represents time. Boxes with a red square around are push factors, and AI-first Process and Organization are both pull factors. All related Findings connected to each stage are indicated by the Finding (F) and the number.
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