Abstract
The use of still-developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology is expanding. AI tools are being adopted across various industries, including software development. However, the influence of agility on AI adoption in software engineering remains largely unexplored. The study examines how agility at both the organizational and individual levels affects AI adoption. It uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and surveys of 943 agile software developers from Poland and Finland. The findings reveal that successful AI adoption heavily depends on employees’ agile mindset, which must be supported by an agile organization (AO). An agile organization empowers both employees with agile and non-agile mindsets to promote AI adoption. However, employees with an agile mindset tend to adopt AI more readily than non-agile employees. From a practical perspective, it shows that the IT organization should focus on agility at both the organizational and individual levels to leverage the new capabilities of AI, rather than on rigid processes and policies to limit the potential negative impact of still-developing AI technology.
Paper Type
Full Paper
DOI
10.62036/ISD.2026.22
Agile Mindset Impact on Artificial Intelligence adoption in software development
The use of still-developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology is expanding. AI tools are being adopted across various industries, including software development. However, the influence of agility on AI adoption in software engineering remains largely unexplored. The study examines how agility at both the organizational and individual levels affects AI adoption. It uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and surveys of 943 agile software developers from Poland and Finland. The findings reveal that successful AI adoption heavily depends on employees’ agile mindset, which must be supported by an agile organization (AO). An agile organization empowers both employees with agile and non-agile mindsets to promote AI adoption. However, employees with an agile mindset tend to adopt AI more readily than non-agile employees. From a practical perspective, it shows that the IT organization should focus on agility at both the organizational and individual levels to leverage the new capabilities of AI, rather than on rigid processes and policies to limit the potential negative impact of still-developing AI technology.
Recommended Citation
Kucharski, M., Jussila, J. & Kucharska, W.(2026). Agile Mindset Impact on Artificial Intelligence adoption in software development. In M. Valenta, B. Mannová, R. Pergl, A. Przybylek, M. Lang, H. Linger, C. Schneider, N. Iivari, & E. Insfran (Eds.), Making ISD Sustainable: Reloaded with AI and Automation (ISD2026 Proceedings). Prague, Czech Republic: Czech Technical University in Prague. ISBN: 978-80-01-07585-2. https://doi.org/10.62036/ISD.2026.22