An OpenAI leader says AI is forcing companies to rethink their software playbook

The landscape of software development is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence. During a recent discussion at Tech Week Singapore 2025, Andy Brown, OpenAI's lead for Asia-Pacific markets, highlighted how AI is reshaping not just the products companies create, but the very processes they use to develop them. Traditionally, organizations have approached software projects with long sprint cycles, focusing on what can be achieved within those durations. However, Brown noted a significant shift towards more traditional product-release cycles, which emphasizes agility and continuous updates. He has observed that many CTOs and engineering leaders are now adopting 'always on' product release cycles, allowing for quicker iterations and updates. OpenAI exemplifies this new pace of development, capable of rolling out multiple product updates within a single week. "The speed at which we can innovate is tied to the evolving nature of software engineering," Brown explained. He cited the development of the Agent Builder platform, which enables users to create custom AI agents through a simple drag-and-drop interface. Remarkably, this tool was developed in just six weeks, with approximately 80% of its code generated by OpenAI's AI models. Brown emphasized that AI is prompting a fundamental reevaluation of technology development within organizations. He encouraged businesses to explore AI tools, noting the rapid advancements in AI capabilities over the past two years. Where significant breakthroughs once occurred every one to two years, they are now happening every one to two months. These insights come at a time when AI companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, are accelerating their release schedules. For instance, OpenAI launched GPT-4o in May and swiftly introduced features like real-time voice capabilities and in-chat image generation. Similarly, Google unveiled over two dozen AI updates at its recent I/O developer conference, with CEO Sundar Pichai declaring, "We are shipping faster than ever." Anthropic also demonstrated its agile development approach by releasing Claude Sonnet 4.5 just four months after its predecessor, highlighting the fierce competition in the generative AI sector.