{"id":4650,"date":"2025-07-14T20:14:31","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T20:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/?p=4650"},"modified":"2025-09-11T16:49:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T16:49:56","slug":"augmented-engineering-at-shopify","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/augmented-engineering-at-shopify\/","title":{"rendered":"Augmented Engineering: How Shopify Tackles Large-Scale Problems With AI"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-post-featured-image\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2240\" height=\"1260\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering.png\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"augmented engineering\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering.png 2240w, https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/augmented-engineering-2048x1152.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2240px) 100vw, 2240px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>Daniel Doubrovkine, who runs <strong>Augmented Engineering at Shopify<\/strong>, in a recent episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aviator.co\/podcast\/daniel-doubrovkine-augmented-engineering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">The Hangar DX podcast<\/a>, explained: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How they use AI tools to transform developer experience<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How they\u2019re betting on AI as a productivity multiplier in the engineering organization, and why<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How managers and ICs alike can adapt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Augmented Engineering?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniel describes his team as part of Shopify\u2019s Developer Productivity organization, but with a clear AI-first focus. Augmented Engineering, he says, means either <strong>augmenting engineers with AI tools or augmenting dev tools with AI.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The distinctive aspect of our work is that we\u2019re specifically focused on augmenting engineers with AI wherever it makes sense so they can be more productive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reflexive Use of AI<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many companies talk about adopting tools like Claude, Copilot, and Cursor. At Shopify, Daniel says, that\u2019s the default, what they call the reflexive use of AI. Instead of thinking \u201cmaybe I can use AI here,\u201d engineers at Shopify try an AI tool first for any problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>We think of AI as a companion or an agent that\u2019s with you at every step. That\u2019s what we\u2019re building: tooling that lets AI help everywhere, from writing code to reviewing it to maintaining it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AI-Driven Developer Productivity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Shopify\u2019s mission is to make commerce better for everyone, and the Developer Productivity organization&#8217;s mission is to &#8220;make commerce better for everyone.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They\u2019re not trying to find problems <em>for<\/em> AI\u2014they\u2019re tackling genuine, large-scale pain points that are hard to solve only with humans. For example, Shopify runs hundreds of thousands of tests, but test coverage is uneven. One goal is to use AI to generate high-quality, missing tests automatically. This is crucial groundwork for a future where AI agents can safely refactor production code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another classic challenge is flaky tests. Even with robust manual efforts\u2014like isolating flaky tests and assigning them to developers\u2014flakiness remains a constant drag on productivity. Daniel\u2019s team is exploring whether AI can help finally put an end to that persistent problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Solving large-scale engineering problems with AI @shopify\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jikcUoINbEY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>AI Tools in Action: Shopify\u2019s Roast<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of Shopify\u2019s initiatives is <a href=\"https:\/\/shopify.engineering\/introducing-roast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Roast<\/a>, an AI workflow tool they have open-sourced. They use it internally to automate test grading and test generation. The workflows even feed into each other: if a test gets a failing grade, another AI workflow can generate an improved version, iterating until it passes with high marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The pace of improvement in these tools is remarkable. That said, there\u2019s no illusion about AI being a silver bullet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The AI is definitely getting better fast. I don&#8217;t know where it ends, but I certainly want to be there.<br><br>We still need experts to recognize that it did a good job, though. It might produce something extraordinary with security problems, and we still need to be experts to recognize that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Advice for Companies on Adopting AI<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Daniel emphasizes that adopting AI isn\u2019t just about buying the latest tools\u2014it requires a real shift in mindset. But companies also need to make AI tools accessible and integral to workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also suggests changing their hiring process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Ask candidates how they\u2019ve used AI in their workflow, and hire those who have tried the tools, persevered, and created amazing results. Those are the people you want!&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Augmenting Engineers With AI at @shopify with Daniel Doubrovkine\" width=\"1490\" height=\"838\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9GVVY0a0CO8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<!-- Hardcoded CTA for Podcast signup -->\n<div style=\"position: relative; display: flex; align-items: center; background: #FFD966; padding: 20px 30px; border-radius: 10px; margin: 40px 0; justify-content: space-between; flex-wrap: wrap; overflow: hidden; max-width: 860px; box-shadow: 0px 4px 10px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);\">\n    <div style=\"flex: 1; z-index: 2; max-width: 500px;\">\n        <h2 style=\"margin: 0; color: #0C344B; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 600;\">DevEx Insights You Don&#8217;t Want to Miss<\/h2>\n        <p style=\"color: #333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 15px;\">Get curated bi-weekly insights on developer experience, the evolution of platform engineering, and the role of AI in development from 400+ engineering leaders.<\/p>\n        <form id=\"hubspot-form\" action=\"https:\/\/forms.hubspot.com\/uploads\/form\/v2\/40144919\/c798e807-1c39-4d01-926c-7cbe462172ad\" method=\"POST\" style=\"display: flex; gap: 6px; align-items: center; max-width: 400px;\">\n            <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"hs_context\" value='{\"hutk\": \"{{contact.hs_context}}\"}'>\n            <input type=\"text\" name=\"First name\" placeholder=\"First name\" required style=\"padding: 8px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 5px; width: 130px; font-size: 13px; background: white;\">\n            <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"Email\" required style=\"padding: 8px; 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