Artificial intelligence (AI) has forever changed IT. The new tech is advancing at a breakneck pace, influencing every part of the industry, workforce, and the world.
The extent of disruption makes it impossible to know what the future holds. What we do know is that success in the AI age depends on engineers who leverage AI to work smarter, build faster, and stay ahead of the curve.
To succeed in this period of disruption, companies need AI-enabled engineers to stay efficient, productive, and relevant.
What is an AI-enabled engineer?
An AI-enabled engineer is a software developer who uses AI tools to enhance productivity and code quality. This new breed of engineer goes beyond traditional coding, acting as a strategic orchestrator who can manage multiple AI coding agents.
The key to being an AI-enabled engineer lies in using AI tools to supercharge productivity. AI-enabled engineers delegate repetitive coding chores and boilerplate testing to intelligent assistants. By leveraging AI tools, developers free themselves to focus on the big picture, including high‑leverage design, architecture, and problem-solving.
"Instead of painstakingly building 'crystal castles,' AI-enabled engineers use AI to rapidly prototype and explore multiple technical approaches simultaneously." - Frank Licea, CTO at Howdy.com
Why AI adoption in engineering matters
AI is reshaping software engineering at every level. Teams that don't embrace the new technology risk falling behind.
One of AI's most profound effects is an exponential increase in productivity. AI enables faster prototyping, real-time debugging, code refactoring, and customer support integration with minimal human input. This means leaner teams can go to market faster, iterate more often, and build more ambitious features, giving them an edge over traditional teams stuck in outdated workflows.
It’s not just about internal productivity. The way consumers interact with technology has changed, and their expectations have followed. AI-powered services — like 24/7 customer support, personalized recommendations, and automation — are becoming the norm. Users expect fast, intelligent, always-available experiences. Engineering teams that don't learn how to deploy and maintain AI-powered systems risk losing customers to competitors who can offer faster, smarter solutions.
How to find and train AI engineers, the Howdy way
AI-enabled engineers are made, not born. Howdy.com has developed a multistage process for finding, hiring, and training AI-enabled developers:
Step 1: Source Latin American talent
Pipeline development at Howdy starts by sourcing LatAm’s top 1% of software engineers. To connect with the region’s most coveted professionals, we tap into our on-the-ground resources. Howdy is an active, trusted part of local tech communities, hosting frequent tech meetups, talks, and other events at our network of offices in tech hubs across LatAm. By embedding in local tech ecosystems, we become a magnet for the region's most valuable candidates.
Step 2: Rigorous vetting
Less than 5% of applicants make it through Howdy.com's rigorous vetting process. Howdy identifies top-tier talent through a series of meticulous interviews and tests. We conduct thorough knowledge assessments and role-specific skills evaluation, in addition to careful vetting for soft skills like curiosity and willingness to learn.
“Mastery of algorithms matters less in an AI-powered world. Howdy looks for the exceptional engineer who can learn, adapt, and think outside the box." - Rodrigo Sellustti, VP of Operations at Howdy.com
Step 3: AI training begins
Successful hires are equipped with top-tier equipment and custom-built AI tools. From the start, devs begin structured training that introduces them to core AI tools and workflows.
Howdy's AI training is an ever-evolving framework supported by proactive knowledge curation. The curriculum is constantly updated by a dedicated team that tracks the latest industry trends.
Step 4: Continuous learning
Howdy promotes continuous learning by training the developers where they're at: On the job.
"Instead of sitting them in a classroom, we immerse our developers in an environment where they live and breathe AI concepts." - Frank Licea
Howdy.com integrates hands-on AI upskilling into the rhythm of everyday work. Rather than a burden on top of existing workloads, the goal is to make AI skill development feel natural and integrated.
Step 5: Community-based growth
Howdy fosters long-term growth through structured mentorship and collaborative peer learning.
Howdy engineers meet regularly with an engineering mentor, a senior developer dedicated to their long-term success and career development. Backed with years of technical expertise and communication skills, engineering mentors support engineers through technological transitions and facilitate continued learning and skill development.
The results
Already, Howdy’s AI training program has delivered measurable outcomes. Developers who completed the pilot phase saw a 52% increase in productivity.
Knowledge is contagious. Many clients say Howdy developers have paved the way for AI adoption among their teammates. Our engineers emerge as AI leaders, helping others embrace the tools and mindsets needed for success in a fast-moving tech landscape.
In a world where time-to-market is everything, AI-enabled engineers give you the edge. Book a demo to learn how Howdy can help you build an AI-enabled team tailored to your tech stack, product goals, and roadmap.
FAQs
What’s the difference between an AI engineer and an AI-enabled engineer? An AI engineer builds machine learning models and core AI systems. An AI-enabled engineer is a software developer who integrates existing AI tools into their work to boost productivity and impact.
Can I train my existing team instead of hiring new talent? Yes — we offer upskilling options and AI training modules for in-house teams.
How fast can I hire through Howdy? We place AI-enabled engineers in as little as seven days, depending on your role and requirements.
Do Howdy engineers work in my time zone? Yes. All our engineers are located in Latin America and work standard U.S. business hours.
What tools are your engineers trained on? We train developers across the most popular AI platforms, including GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, LangChain, Pinecone, and more. Book a demo to start building your AI-enabled development team today.
