The Keylane AI Hackathon was built around a simple idea: the best way to discover what AI can really add to software development is by using it.
•
More than 25 colleagues joined the AI Hackathon at Keylane’s office in Utrecht. Participants represented teams from both business lines; e.g., Product Development, Projects, and DevOps. The afternoon was dedicated to building, experimenting and learning.
The goal was simple: build something, experiment with real workflows, and learn by doing.
The Keylane AI Hackathon is not only about building something flashy; but to also assess how far AI can help solve problems we encounter in our day-to-day work. Around 10 teams got to work after a short introduction to the latest AI tools.
Most teams started with familiar challenges; Some refined Jira epics, others analysed production bugs, improved test coverage, or simplified technical documentation. Whilst other colleagues explored different ideas to further explore and learn how AI behaves in practice.
Teams had to make quick decisions with only a few hours available for the Hackathon at Keylane. That time pressure became the essence of challenge — and simultaneously the fun.
Every team had something to show by the end of the afternoon.
The prototypes varied in maturity; Some were already polished, whilst others were rough around the edges. Every project showed what a few hours of experimenting and building together can achieve.
We saw one team developed an AI assistant for Jira refinements. The assistant identified technical impact, highlighted potential risks, and suggested a breakdown of the work before the refinement session begun. A different group focused on a tool converting process flowcharts into structured test cases. This aims to make quality assurance more efficient.
Not every project focused on day-to-day development work. We also saw creative examples where a team built an IOS app helping parents choose baby names! Similarly, another team recreated the classic Snake game using an AI coding assistant. We ended up with a range of demos from the Keylane AI Hackathon; some deeming use whilst others unexpectedly funny and perfectly capturing the spirit of the afternoon.
Our biggest insight from our Keylane AI Hackathon is: the fastest way to understand AI is to work with it.
We saw during the Hackathon some ideas which worked immediately; whilst others raised new questions or highlighted the current limitations of AI. All of which are insights we consider a win! Whether it was using AI for production bugs analyses, to generate refinement documents, to translate technical RFCs into business language. That was exactly the point.
We saw the value of this in combination with discussing AI in theory. Using it in real software development workflows showed us more on where AI adds value—and where human expertise is still essential.
We are proud of the collaboration which took place during the Keylane AI Hackathon. As the afternoon progressed, people naturally huddled around each other’s screens and whiteboards.
Developers discussed solutions with testers. Consultants challenged technical assumptions. DevOps engineers shared practical approaches. We saw colleagues exchange prompts, compare prototypes and learn from one another.
This beautifully represented where Keylane stands for and the learning culture we try to consistently maintain and evolve. The Keylane AI Hackathon was not only about building software, it was also about creating creative space to explore new ideas together.
We ended the Keylane AI Hackathon with a series of short demos. Our teams presented their prototypes, shared what they found and reflected on potential improvements. We saw the potential of some projects to evolve into supporting tools for our daily work; whilst others served as learning experiences. Both equally valuable.
At Keylane we believe this is how innovation happens. Thank you for reading along!
At Keylane, you’ll help build software that supports insurers and pension providers across Europe. You’ll also work in an environment where there’s room to explore new technologies. You’ll challenge existing ways of working and learn alongside experienced colleagues.
Events like the Keylane AI Hackathon show how we create room for experimentation and continuous learning.
We support that through our Academy, knowledge-sharing sessions and initiatives like our AI Hackathon. We believe the best way to keep improving is by staying curious.
If that sounds like the kind of environment you’re looking for, we’d love to hear from you.
