I have been leading software development teams for 12 years.
When I started, I learned one thing fast: when your junior developer breaks production, you cannot tell stakeholders "it is the junior's fault." You are responsible. That is what leadership means.
Now everyone talks about "managing AI agents." Developers are told they are now managers. They have a team of AI assistants writing code for them.
But here is the problem.
Nobody talks about responsibility.
When AI writes code and something breaks... who is responsible? When there is a data leak... who do we call? When the software fails in front of customers... can you point to a name?
A person. Not "the AI."
I use AI. My team uses AI. AI helps us write code faster. AI helps us review code. This is good.
But before any piece of software goes in front of a customer, a human has to make the call. A human has to say: "I reviewed this. I approve this. I am responsible for this."
The shape of that review? That is up to you. Maybe it is code review before merge. Maybe it is architecture sign-off. Maybe it is security audit. The form does not matter.
Nothing goes live without a human who owns it.
Companies are cutting software development talent. They think AI will replace the need for expertise. Costs go down. Everybody is happy.
Until something breaks.
And then... who will fix it? Who will even understand what went wrong? The expertise is gone. The accountability was never there.
Abundance of software.
Shortage of people who stand behind it.
If you run a software company, if you provide development services, if you build products... you can make a simple commitment:
"Every piece of code we deploy to production is reviewed by a human. A human whose name we can give you. A human who is responsible."
That is it.
Not complicated. Not a certification with audits and paperwork. Just a public statement that you take this seriously.
My name is Iztok Smolic. I am CEO of Agiledrop, a software development company from Slovenia. We have been building software for clients for 12 years.
I am not starting this to promote my company. I am starting this because I am worried.
The conversation about AI in software development is missing something important. Everyone talks about productivity. Nobody talks about accountability.
I want to change that.
Agiledrop will be one of the companies taking this pledge. I hope we will not be the last.
Take the pledge. Put the badge on your website. Show your customers that you take responsibility seriously.
Because in a world full of AI-generated code... knowing that a human stands behind your software is not overhead.
It is a feature.
Join the movement
Show your customers you take accountability seriously.