AI is everywhere in conversations about technology today. But what does it really mean for engineering leadership?
That’s the question Bharat Meda, Director of Engineering at Syren, takes up in his latest thought leadership piece on Medium. In the article, he looks at moving beyond the AI hype and on what leaders need to do if they want their teams, systems, and outcomes to advance in this AI-driven world.
Meeting Teams Where They Are
One of Bharat's best arguments is deceptively straightforward: you can't roll out AI by presuming that everyone on your team is equally prepared. Leaders must "meet teams where they are." That involves understanding minimum skills, bringing out the fears people have, and establishing safe learning environments.
At Syren, this is now built into our culture. We conduct surveys and listening sessions to measure the comfort level of people with AI and then develop learning programs from there. Hackathons, Build with AI events, and short learning sprints provide teams with hands-on experience without overwhelming them. It's a culture of balancing curiosity with accountability and enabling people to look at AI not as a threat but as an opportunity to extend their craft.
Why Thoughtful Integration Matters
The haste to roll out generative AI is understandable; it's a race in which no organization wants to be left behind. But as Bharat rightly points out, speed without structure can boomerang. Rolling out tools without the proper processes in place creates just noise, adds technical debt, and potentially burns people out.
The greater challenge is ensuring AI augments focus rather than breaking it up. That means leaders must consider culture and processes as much as technology. Peer review, uncluttered design, and disciplined engineering are still necessary.
AI as a Capability, not a Project
The second theme that came across strongly was treating AI as a capability, not a project. Far too frequently, organizations test and pilot AI in isolation and then drop it. Bharat contends that true AI adoption implies treating it as a dynamic component of how the organization functions.
At Syren, our AI pilots are monitored, retrained, and refined continuously. Architectures are built with governance and resilience in mind, so that as technology evolves, and our systems adapt with it.
From Executors to Orchestrators
The way we quantify engineering leadership must change as well. Lines of code or tickets closed don't measure the effectiveness of AI. Today's leaders must play the role of orchestrators, aligning people, tools, and strategy to have the greatest impact.
As Bharat puts it, it's not so much about syntax, but rather imagination, vision, and quickness. So, the focus would shift from raw output to the results that drive change, bring business impact, and streamline how AI is integrated into decision-making.
The Syren Lens
Bharat defines leadership in AI by three dimensions that are core values at Syren:
- Teams: Empowering and developing people through mentorship, training, and curiosity-driven inquiry.
- Systems: Building architectures that are secure, resilient, and AI-ready by design.
- Outcomes: What we deliver is relevant, sustainable, and impactful.
This perspective ensures that AI adoption doesn't occur in silos; it's integrated into culture, architecture, and delivery from the start.
Conclusion
Leadership in engineering in the AI-driven world must build an organization where creativity flourishes, systems remain robust, and results find their way to long-term purpose. As Bharat says, it's a "dance between speed, discipline, creativity, governance, human intuition, and machine amplification."
