OutSystems releases AI-driven Mentor for software development

OutSystems has announced the general availability of its digital worker, Mentor, on the OutSystems Developer Cloud, aimed at automating the software development lifecycle.

Mentor uses AI technology to streamline application generation and SDLC automation. This development follows a successful Early Access Program where participating customers reported significant efficiency gains and time savings. Select OutSystems customers, including Bosch, participated in the program.

Elton Escaleira, Product & Service Manager at Bosch, stated, "OutSystems Mentor and AI Agent Builder give us the productivity that pure GenAI tools promise while also addressing governance concerns and avoiding the vulnerabilities they may introduce."

The launch comes amid growing adoption of AI in software development across industries. Mentor integrates AI throughout the SDLC, employing over ten distinct agents to produce compliant, high-quality applications from natural language inputs or requirements documents.

OutSystems CEO & Founder, Paulo Rosado, commented, "Mentor reimagines the software development lifecycle, bringing AI and low-code together to not only speed development, but also enhance the quality, explainability, and governability of software solutions." He noted the strong results from the Early Access Program, highlighting Mentor's potential in building enterprise applications efficiently.

Early adopters, such as Thermo Fisher and KPMG, reported various benefits. A biotechnology company generated a functional prototype of an employee management application with 15 screens in just 20 minutes, significantly reducing prototyping time.

Additionally, an IT team from a biotechnology company used Mentor to create a "Product Compare" application, achieving the majority of the required functionality in minutes. Although additional UI and workflow refinements were necessary, they noted substantial time savings.

Thermo Fisher utilised Mentor for projects involving routine CRUD operations, which allowed developers more focus on advanced business logic. KPMG experienced efficiency improvements, particularly in documentation parsing, saving up to 40-50% of time traditionally spent on manual entity and screen creation.

Arnal Dayaratna, Research Vice President for Software Development at IDC, praised the potential impact of Mentor, saying, "OutSystems Mentor has the potential to revolutionize generative AI development by simplifying complex processes, ensuring robust governance, and enabling seamless integration with enterprise systems."

He added that Mentor's governance and standardized workflows empower developers to prioritize innovation and scalability, setting a new standard for AI-driven application development technologies in the enterprise sector.