The most powerful AI tools aren't just bought off a shelf: they are born from a culture of experimentation.
At Multiverse, we have seen firsthand that investing in AI isn’t just about the technology—it’s about the people building it. This approach has yielded tangible results: last year, we grew our revenue per employee by 37%, a direct result of our investment in AI technology and the cultural transformation that enabled it.
So, how do you shift an engineering mindset from traditional development to AI-first innovation? Here is how we approach AI transformation within our engineering capability:
Embracing experimentation
The key to unlocking innovation lies in individual empowerment, giving team members the freedom to experiment, trusting them and their domain expertise to get things done.
To truly build with AI, teams must shift their perspective on failure. In our engineering team, we encourage engineers to try, learn, and even fail, knowing they might not succeed on the first attempt.
- Learning at pace: We view experimentation not through the lens of risk aversion, but as an instrument for learning at pace.
- Dedicated time: Innovation doesn't happen if it isn't on the calendar. We utilise "Hack Weeks" and allocate 10-20% of our engineers' time specifically for learning and experimentation.
Balancing Speed with Security
A common hurdle in AI adoption is the fear of security risks. How do you balance the need for speed with the necessity of safety?
Our approach is to create guardrails so that our builders don't have to overthink compliance while they are in the creative flow.
- Programmatic boundaries: Whether it is through role-based access control or context-setting files in coding tools, we ensure engineers know it is safe to experiment within specific environments.
- Removing friction: By making security programmatic, engineers don't stumble over administrative fears; they can roll into their creativity and embrace the technology.
Overcoming the fear of failure
With any new movement, there is a natural human fear of humiliation or failure. To foster a true builder’s mindset, leadership must prioritise psychological safety.
By democratising the technology, we remove the fear that AI is rocket science. When the team sees that failure is just part of the process, they gain the confidence to build the future.
- Leading by example: Leaders need to embrace the technology themselves so they’re able to lead from the front.
- Celebrating the losses, as well as the wins: We openly share our mistakes to show that failure is just part of the process. This builds the confidence needed to try something new.
Innovation in action: AI grading
When you combine psychological safety, clear guardrails, and a culture of experimentation, you get tangible results. A prime example of this approach in action is our AI Grading capability.
An engineer on our team identified that grading homework was a prime opportunity to leverage AI and built a solution from scratch to address it. This tool has transformed how we operate:
- Empowering coaches: It reduces a massive amount of hours for our human coaches, freeing them up for higher-order activities like spending actual face time with learners.
- Faster feedback: Learners now receive faster feedback on their work, motivating them in their drive to improve.
This is the power of a builder mindset: when engineers are empowered to experiment, they build solutions that elevate the entire learning experience.
