OutSystems Unveils Mentor: AI-Powered Digital Worker for Full Software Development Lifecycle

OutSystems integrates generative AI with low-code to accelerate and simplify app development - SiliconANGLE

OutSystems integrates generative AI with low-code to accelerate and simplify app development Low-code application development startup OutSystems Inc. says it's looking to transform the entire software development lifecycle with the debut of a new, generative artificial intelligence-powered "digital worker" called Mentor. Available in early access starting today, Mentor is meant to help companies with the entire process of creating new software, aiding application generation, delivery and monitoring via a low-code, generative AI experience. The company unveiled the new integration in its platform during its annual OutSystems One conference today, where founder and Chief Executive Paulo Rosado talked about how the combination of low-code and generative AI can streamline the entire software development and management workflow. Mentor, he said, provides capabilities including AI-driven app generation, optimization and automated quality checks in a single, easy-to-use interface, with everything falling under centralized governance. The aim is to accelerate the productivity of developer teams to unprecedented speeds, while ensuring that new applications continue to meet the highest quality standards, he added. The great thing about Mentor is it can participate in every step of the app development lifecycle, beginning with ideation and prototyping, enabling teams to validate their new ideas and refine their initial designs before proceeding with full-scale development. To get started, users simply describe the app they want to build, or simply tell Mentor what their vision is, using natural language. Mentor will then whip up a concept of that app complete with a front-end so users can explore how it works. The initial prototype will feature both data models and embedded business logic so it can be thoroughly tested. Once the user has explored the initial concept, they'll be able to ask Mentor to refine it in various ways. In addition, Mentor will also pipe in with its own suggestions on how to improve the app's functionality. Further, it can even embed "AI agents" within the app to automate tasks on behalf of users. Mentor will then aid in the deployment and ongoing maintenance and management of the newly created app, performing AI-powered code reviews to ensure it meets the customer's standards in terms of performance, security, long-term maintainability and architecture. Rosado said a recent study carried out by OutSystems reveals that 93% of company executives want to increase their investments in AI-powered software development. That underscores a widespread belief in generative AI's enormous potential to increase developer productivity, he added. "The Generative Software Cycle is here, but speed can lead to technical debt and security issues if not managed carefully," Rosado said. "With OutSystems Mentor, developers can build full-stack applications in minutes without sacrificing quality, security or governance. Mentor ensures apps are built right from the start." Rosado stressed that Mentor is able to overcome many of the challenges associated with AI-generated software, such as orphaned code, poor quality code and a lack of transparency or explainability. When it becomes generally available next year, it will also provide tools that make it simple to secure and control access to AI models, AI agents and confidential data, to help safeguard privacy. Constellation Research Inc. analyst Holger Mueller said OutSystems' Mentor is an early example of how AI is going beyond the realm of automating single business tasks with copilots, to take over much more complex processes. "Software development is an extremely complex process, looking to eliminate much of the friction that occurs when new software is defined, created, tested, documented and maintained," the analyst said. "It will be interesting to see Mentor in action. If it can propel developer velocity and reduce the time-to-go-live metric in software development processes, it can be an extremely useful tool in today's software-powered economy." Diego Lo Giudice, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc., said the classic software development lifecycle has always been broken down into separate, specialized roles and steps focused on ideation, analysis, design and development. But with AI, he believes, everything can be combined into a single workflow. "AI can and will combine these tasks into a frictionless creative act," Lo Giudice said.

OutSystems Unveils Mentor, a First-of-Its Kind AI-Powered Application Generation Experience

Leading the Generative Software Era, company announces exclusive early access to its highly-anticipated full software development lifecycle (SDLC) digital worker at the 2024 ONE Conference in Amsterdam OutSystems, a global leader transforming how companies innovate through software, today announced Mentor, the industry's first full software development lifecycle (SDLC) digital worker, enabling app generation, delivery, and monitoring, all powered by low-code and GenAI. Announced live on-stage at the OutSystems ONE Conference, aimed at showcasing the next generation of app development with the combined power of low-code and GenAI, CEO & Founder Paulo Rosado unveiled how Mentor, formerly known as Project Morpheus, transforms software development and management workflows into a major competitive differentiator. Using AI-driven app generation, optimization, automated quality checks, and agents all under the governance of centralized IT, Mentor boosts developer productivity while ensuring applications meet the highest quality standards -- all at a speed previously thought impossible. "The Generative Software Cycle is here. In fact, 93% of executives are planning to increase their investment in AI-powered solutions, driving developer productivity and value creation to unprecedented heights," said Rosado. "But speed can lead to technical debt and security issues if not managed carefully. With OutSystems Mentor, developers can now build full-stack applications in minutes, without sacrificing quality, security, or governance. Mentor ensures apps are built right from the start, changing how software development gets done." Mentor introduces a true "shift-left" approach to app creation, enabling developers to start earlier in the process. Beginning with discovery and rapid prototyping, IT teams can validate ideas and refine initial designs before full-scale development. Users simply describe the app they need or their vision, and Mentor generates an initial version with front-end functionality, data models, and embedded business logic. By automating app prototyping and ensuring best-in-class code quality, Mentor redefines the SDLC. It combines the widely popular features of the AI Mentor System with the cutting edge innovations of the OutSystems Developer Cloud (ODC). This enables IT teams to: Generate fully functional, scalable applications with the power of GenAI in a matter of minutes, significantly reducing development time.Iterate and evolve applications effortlessly using AI-powered suggestions, enabling continuous improvement and rapid iteration.Embed AI agents within apps, adding advanced capabilities like natural language understanding to humanize digital interactions - without any coding.Validate and maintain applications through AI-powered code reviews, ensuring all applications meet the highest possible standards for development, security, performance, architecture and long-term maintainability. Formerly known as Project Morpheus, OutSystems Mentor is a major advancement in OutSystems' AI strategy, which includes: using generative AI to accelerate iterative application development; applying generative AI throughout the SDLC to improve security, performance, and agility; and building generative AI-powered applications to accelerate transformation. Unlike traditional code with GenAI, Mentor overcomes key challenges such as orphaned code, poor code quality, and lack of transparency and explainability. It ensures teams maintain control, reduce technical debt, and fully harness the potential of AI-driven software development, making it a smarter, more efficient choice for modern, rapid application development. "The classical SDLC assumes that ideation, analysis, design, and development tasks are and should be performed by separate specialized roles and steps -- but AI can and will combine these tasks into a frictionless creative act," wrote John Bratincevic, Principal Analyst and Diego Lo Giudice, VP, Principal Analyst at Forrester¹. Interested developers and IT leaders can now request an invitation to the Mentor early access program. The GenAI-powered app generator and editor capabilities of Mentor will be generally available in early 2025. To learn more, visit the Mentor home page. About OutSystems OutSystems is a global leader transforming how companies innovate through software, empowering IT leaders with a better way to build the software that matters most. The OutSystems platform helps companies develop, deploy, and maintain mission-critical applications by unifying and automating the entire software lifecycle. With OutSystems, organizations leverage GenAI to deliver software instantaneously, adapt faster to changing requirements, and reduce technical debt by building on a future-proof platform. Helping customers achieve their business goals by addressing key strategic initiatives, OutSystems delivers software up to 10x faster than traditional development. Recognized as a leader by analysts, IT executives, business leaders, and developers around the world, global brands trust OutSystems to tackle their impossible projects and turn their big ideas into software that moves their business, people, and the world forward.