SDLC, AI, FDE and Frontier AI

S. Muralikrishnan

Abstract: The article compares traditional software development with AI-assisted engineering and questions whether terms such as AI-DLC, Frontier AI, and Forward Deployed Engineering represent a real change or simply repackage familiar practices. AI can speed up requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, deployment, and operations, but human judgement remains central to business needs, architecture, security, regulation, production approval, adoption, and revenue. A 10% human intervention test is proposed to assess whether AI has genuinely changed the full journey from business idea to commercial value. The discussion also argues that customer-embedded engineering existed long before FDE. Its present value should therefore be judged by faster delivery, greater autonomy, measurable business outcomes, and the conversion of field experience into reusable product knowledge. New labels have practical meaning only when supported by clear evidence of reduced intervention, improved quality, wider reuse, and shorter time to production.

Keywords: AI-assisted development, Software development lifecycle, Forward Deployed Engineering, Frontier AI, Human intervention

How to Cite?: S. Muralikrishnan, "SDLC, AI, FDE and Frontier AI", Volume 15 Issue 8, August 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2072-2074, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR26829210001, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR26829210001

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