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Keynote at ICSA 2025: From Building Systems to Growing Systems
April 3
Keynote speaker, Professor Helena Holmström Olsson, delivered an insightful keynote exploring the future of software engineering in an era defined by digitalization, artificial intelligence, and continuous development. Drawing on years of empirical research and close collaboration with industry, she presented a compelling shift: from building static systems to growing adaptive, learning systems.
Professor Holmström Olsson highlighted how the role of software architecture is evolving. No longer solely focused on reducing complexity for humans, architecture now plays a key role in enabling systems to mature, self-optimize, and adapt at runtime. This includes supporting automation, experimentation, and even coordination among AI agents.
She described the path toward AI-driven development, where teams move from using AI assistants (e.g., for code completion) to AI agents that enhance productivity and ultimately lead to autonomous systems capable of continuous improvement—referred to as Kaizen AI.
At the organizational level, she described a parallel evolution, from basic task automation to fully AI-integrated business processes. This transformation challenges how teams are structured and how value is delivered.