What Happens to Scrum When AI Starts Coding?

Would you like to know What Happens to Scrum when AI Starts Coding?

I’ve been following Henrik Kniberg’s work for a while, and I always appreciate how he keeps things practical. At this year’s Global Scrum Gathering in Munich, he gave a talk called “Scrum in the Age of AI.” It was packed, and for good reason. The topic is everywhere right now, but Henrik managed to cut through the noise and say something useful.

He didn’t focus on flashy tools or predictions. He just showed how AI is already changing how we work—and what that means for people who care about building good products.

When AI Writes Code, What Do We Do?

One idea that stood out was something he called “vibe coding.” It sounds casual, but it’s actually a good way to describe what happens when you use tools like ChatGPT for software development.

Instead of spending hours typing code, you describe what you want and get working results back in seconds. The job shifts from writing code to shaping ideas and testing outcomes. It’s still software development—but it feels different. It’s more about creative thinking and less about syntax.

This isn’t just about saving time. It opens the door for people who never used to code at all.

Product Owners Can Now Build, Too

Henrik made a great point: with tools like this, Product Owners can now build things themselves. Not because they suddenly became developers, but because the tools help bridge the gap.

That’s a big deal.

For teams that work in Scrum, it challenges some long-standing habits. Do we still need the same handoffs? Can more people contribute directly? What happens when more people on the team can build, test, and iterate on ideas without waiting for a developer to pick it up?

We’ve talked for years about cross-functional teams. This feels like a real step closer to that goal.

Skills Still Matter—They’re Just Shifting

The talk wasn’t all optimism. Henrik was clear that the shift comes with responsibility. If AI is doing more of the manual work, we need to step up in other areas, especially judgment.

Can you spot when the AI got it wrong?

Can you tell when an answer is off, even if it sounds confident?

Can you give the right kind of guidance up front?

It’s not about knowing every line of code anymore. It’s about understanding the problem well enough to guide the solution, and not blindly trusting the first thing AI gives you.

He also shared a fun idea I liked: the “scale of laziness.” The more you automate, the “lazier” you are—but in this case, that’s a good thing. It’s a light way to think about where you can free up time to focus on things that still need a human mind.

One Honest Line to Remember

Henrik closed with this:
“Everything I showed you, AI did it—but I was there too.”

That felt right. It’s not about letting go of the wheel. It’s about working differently. We still need to care about the outcome, guide the process, and decide when something is good enough to ship. AI can help a lot, but it doesn’t remove responsibility.

Final Thought

If you’ve been experimenting with AI tools in your daily work—or just thinking about how to start—it’s worth watching this space. I think we’ll see more talks like this soon, but what matters most is what we do with the tools, not just what the tools can do.

If you’ve tried using AI in your own projects, I’d love to hear how it’s going. Are you finding it useful? Is it helping you get closer to your product goals, or creating new challenges?

Leave a comment or get in touch. I’m always curious how others are working through this shift.

Not Sure What’s Next in Your Scrum Career?

If all this talk about changing roles and new possibilities with AI has you thinking about your own next steps, you’re not alone. The way we work in Scrum teams is shifting, and it’s a good time to step back and think about where you’re heading.

If you’re not sure what that path looks like or how to move forward, I put together a course called Scrum Career Mapping. It’s designed to help you figure out where you are now, where you want to go, and how to get there, whether you’re a Scrum Master, Product Owner, developer, or just exploring a career in agile.

You can check it out here: Scrum Career Compass