Our Experience with AI-DLC and Kiro at the Amazon AI-DLC Hackathon 2026

Over two days (25/06/26 & 26/06/26), we explored how artificial intelligence can be integrated into every stage of software development, from identifying customer problems to designing architecture, generating code, testing, and deployment, while keeping humans firmly in control of decision-making.

" Faster development without structure often leads to faster chaos " 👀

This is where AI-DLC enters the picture.

What is AI-DLC?

>>>AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle) is an adaptive software development methodology developed by AWS that integrates AI assistants throughout the software engineering process while maintaining governance, quality controls, and human oversight. Unlike traditional AI-assisted coding approaches where developers simply ask an AI to generate code, AI-DLC introduces a structured workflow that guides development through defined phases.

Understanding the Three Phases of AI-DLC -

How Kiro Powers AI-DLC?

>>>Kiro represents a new generation of AI-powered development tools that enable developers to move from ideas to production-ready software much faster than traditional workflows.

During the hackathon, participants were provided with Kiro credits and temporary AWS accounts, allowing us to experience AI-assisted development firsthand.

What impressed us most was not that Kiro wrote code for us, but that it acted as an intelligent collaborator throughout the entire development lifecycle.

Day 1 >>>

Our journey began with ten students from Sairam Institutions representing the AWS Student Builder Group. The participating students were Gokul D, Sarvesh Datta V, K Guru Prakash, Akash Santhnu Sundar, Kannan K, Devipriya D, Kirthika S, Balavanitha R, Gowtham K, Jayasuriya T R

We attended sessions on:

>Amazon Leadership Principles

>Working Backwards methodology

>The Generative AI stack on AWS

>AI-Driven Development Lifecycle

>Kiro hands-on workshops

By the afternoon, the hackathon officially began.

Day 2 >>>

The first half of the day was spent developing our projects, refining features, and turning our ideas into working solutions. In between the build sessions, we had short breaks filled with games, snacks, and a lot of fun, which made the experience even more enjoyable and helped keep the energy high throughout the day.

After lunch, we shifted our focus back to finalizing the projects and preparing for the presentations.

We are incredibly proud that one of our teams from AWS Student Builder Group – Sairam Institutions secured the 3rd Prize in the competition.

Congratulations to:

🏆 Akash Santhnu Sundar
🏆 Balavanitha R
🏆 K Guru Prakash

Their achievement reflects not only their technical skills and dedication but also the collaborative spirit fostered within our student community.

Resources to learn more:

A huge thanks to Amazon Youth Tech for organizing such a well-structured and impactful event, and to Nihitha Vemulapalli mam for putting it all together. We are also sincerely grateful to the Amazon team for their support throughout the hackathon, and to Lisa Bagley ma'am for her timely support and motivation, which meant a lot to us.

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