99x is strengthening its AI capabilities through ELEVATE 2026, an internal hackathon that brought together more than 150 employees across 30 teams to develop AI agents aimed at solving real-world software engineering challenges.
99x advances agentic AI development by giving engineers hands-on experience across the software lifecycle.
99x is strengthening its AI capabilities through ELEVATE 2026, an internal hackathon that brought together more than 150 employees across 30 teams to develop AI agents aimed at solving real-world software engineering challenges.
The initiative reflects a broader shift taking place across the technology industry, where artificial intelligence is moving beyond basic code generation towards agentic systems capable of performing defined tasks, interacting with multiple systems and supporting several stages of the software development lifecycle.
For 99x, ELEVATE represents part of a wider effort to build practical expertise in applying AI within engineering environments. The company has been developing its AI-driven development lifecycle (AI-DLC), while its Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) work closely with teams to identify opportunities where AI can deliver practical value.
The 2026 edition of ELEVATE gave employees an opportunity to work directly on problems drawn from their own project domains. More than 150 employees participated across 30 teams, with five judging panels comprising technical and business leaders assessing the solutions developed during the event.
The focus was not simply on using AI to generate code. Teams were encouraged to consider how an AI agent could become part of a broader engineering workflow, including what triggers an agent, what information it uses, what output it produces and how that output can move into subsequent stages of development.
Yohan Gunathilaka, Senior Manager – Software Engineering at 99x, said the hackathon was designed around challenges that engineering teams already encounter during delivery. The objective, he explained, was to encourage participants to think about agents as components of an engineering process rather than simply as tools for generating code more quickly.
That approach reflects the growing importance of agentic AI in software engineering. Unlike conventional AI-assisted tools that typically respond to individual prompts, AI agents can be designed to perform structured tasks within defined workflows. Their usefulness therefore depends not only on the underlying AI model, but also on the quality of the surrounding processes, controls and human oversight.
99x is applying this thinking through its Xianix platform, which brings specialised AI agents, FDEs and engineering guardrails together within a delivery pod. Its agents are designed to support areas including requirements analysis, technical design, pull request reviews, test planning and release management.
Human engineers remain responsible for decisions throughout the process. This distinction is central to the company’s approach, as AI is being used to assist engineering teams rather than positioned as a replacement for them.
As AI systems become capable of taking on more routine analysis, preparation and first-pass engineering activities, developers and technical specialists increasingly need a different set of capabilities. These include evaluating AI-generated outputs, identifying potential risks, providing appropriate context and determining when human intervention is required.
Asitha Weerasinghe, Senior Technical Architect and a member of the ELEVATE organising team, said the company’s AI conversation has evolved significantly. While previous efforts focused largely on helping teams become comfortable with AI-assisted development, the latest initiative is examining how agents can participate across the software lifecycle.
The challenge, he noted, is ensuring that these capabilities create practical value in real delivery environments without compromising engineering discipline or the accountability expected by customers.
For 99x, this means experimenting with what it calls a team of AI agents while keeping FDEs closely connected to the delivery environment and responsible for outcomes. The model places emphasis on collaboration between people and AI rather than automation for its own sake.
The ELEVATE initiative also highlights the growing importance of workforce development as companies integrate AI into technology operations. As engineering workflows become increasingly AI-enabled, employees need to understand not only how to use AI tools, but also how to delegate appropriate tasks, challenge AI-generated results and maintain responsibility for final decisions.
Through ELEVATE 2026, 99x is therefore using an internal innovation programme to test how AI in software engineering can move from individual productivity tools towards coordinated, workflow-based systems. The initiative provides a practical environment for employees to experiment with these technologies while maintaining the engineering controls and human accountability required for production delivery.
The company’s approach points to a broader evolution in software development: the future role of AI may be less about replacing individual engineers and more about creating specialised digital collaborators that can operate alongside human teams. Building the skills and processes needed to manage that relationship is likely to become increasingly important as agentic AI adoption accelerates across the technology sector.