AI-First Software Development: How Propel Builds Better Products, Faster | Propulsion 2026

AI isn't just changing how software gets built. It's changing how fast, how well, and how intelligently it can respond to your needs. For Propel customers, that shift is already delivering results.

In this session from Propulsion 2026, Propel CTO Kishore Subramanian pulls back the curtain on one of the most consequential transformations in software development history, and what Propel is doing about it. With 51% of new code on GitHub now written by AI and 90% of engineers expected to use AI-assisted coding by end of 2026, the rules have changed.

Kishore walks through Propel's deliberate, year-long journey to become an AI-forward company: building a curated knowledge base, deploying purpose-built AI assistants, and integrating tools like Claude Code and Cassidy AI into the full product development lifecycle. The result is a faster design loop, smarter quality gates, and a product team that can move from idea to working solution in a fraction of the time. This is the story behind the features you're already seeing, and a preview of what's coming next.

Jump to Demo

16:15 – How does Propel use AI to enhance a product feature from idea to working prototype?

17:33 – How do product managers use AI to surface customer feedback patterns from Jira?

19:12 – How does Claude Code generate context-aware, UX-grounded code for Propel?

20:25 – How does Propel's QA team use AI to prevent regressions during feature development?

22:31 – How does AI-powered code review catch bugs before they reach customers?

26:09 – How is Propel's AI-forward approach being embedded into product features?

Key Takeaways

AI Has Fundamentally Shifted What Software Engineering Looks Like

51% of all new code committed to GitHub is now written by AI, and Gartner projects 90% of software engineers will use AI to produce code by end of 2026. Kishore puts these numbers in context, explaining why software development is the domain feeling AI's impact most acutely right now.

Propel Made a Deliberate Choice to Be on the Right Side of the AI Divide

More than a year ago, Propel made a conscious, company-wide decision to become an AI-forward organization. Kishore explains why that choice matters now, and why companies that don't choose a side will feel the consequences.

The Design Loop Is Getting Its Due

Historically, writing code consumed so much time and energy that the design phase, where you define what to build and why, got shortchanged. AI-assisted development has shrunk the develop loop, creating space to spend more time on the right problems before a single line of code is written.

Propel Built a Knowledge Brain That Powers the Whole System

Propel's AI platform isn't running on generic models. The team curated a comprehensive knowledge base spanning user guides, release notes, test cases, PRDs, and more, then connected it to live systems like GitHub, Jira, Confluence, and TestRail via MCP. That grounding in truth is what makes tools like Propel Sage reliable enough to use in real decisions.

Quality Gates Are Getting Smarter Too

AI isn't just writing code at Propel, it's also reviewing it. A code review agent runs alongside human reviewers on every pull request, catching issues early before they become bugs in production. Kishore draws a direct parallel to the ECO process in hardware development, framing it as a shift-left quality strategy that benefits customers directly.

Customers Are Already Feeling the Difference

Faster innovation, smarter UX, and more responsive customer support are the direct outputs of Propel's AI-forward approach. Kishore points to Propel One, enhanced Document Management, and DesignHub as proof, with new capabilities like a Variant BOM Configurator already in development.

From AI to ROI – the insights are waiting. Watch all Propulsion 2026 sessions.

Learn More

Want to see how Propel's AI-forward engineering shows up in the product itself?

Explore Propel One to learn how Propel's agentic AI brings the same speed, precision, and built-in quality mindset to PLM and QMS, so your teams spend less time digging for answers and more time building the right things.

About Propulsion 2026

‍Propulsion brings together everything product and manufacturing leaders need to know in one place. Bringing you Propel’s boldest platform reveals, critical AI and market insights from top industry analysts, and real customer results. These sessions are designed to cut through the noise so you can put what matters most to work immediately.