AI agents and the future of software engineering

In this episode of ClearPoint Unlock, Rob Cleghorn, CTO at ClearPoint, and Jonathan Ackerman, Principal AI Engineer at ClearPoint, explore how AI agents are transforming software engineering - from early “assistant” tools to fully autonomous digital colleagues. They discuss how these shifts are reshaping industries, the opportunities and risks for businesses, and the profound questions this wave of AI raises for society as a whole. With insights from Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index and examples like Klarna’s AI-led transformation, this conversation offers a glimpse into a future where productivity, workforce dynamics, and the very nature of work may be redefined.They see particular opportunity for New Zealand to overcome scale limitations through AI, and stress that leadership must enable rather than block adoption. Looking ahead, they explore the implications of "Phase 4" where agents lead agents - a future that raises important questions about the speed of change and its societal impact. Their key insight: the AI capabilities we see today are the worst they'll ever be.