How AI Is Changing the Technologist Skill Set

Aislinn McBride is CTO at Kainos, a UK company that grew from a Belfast university into a 4,000-person global business, delivering projects like the NHS app and UK passport renewal, alongside a Workday-focused product line. She leads technology across that ecosystem, with a major current focus on AI and technologist skills. Aislinn started as a software engineer 25 years ago and has spent most of her career at Kainos, moving across insurance, healthcare, public sector, and from open source to cloud to AI. In this conversation, she challenges the “T-shaped” skills model, arguing technologists now need to be “W-shaped” or “M-shaped” - genuinely deep in multiple areas, not just broad generalists. The heart of the episode is how Kainos has redesigned its early-careers academy for the AI era: giving graduates AI tooling and real problems to solve from day one, using a “grill me” skill to quiz developers on AI-assisted code to check real understanding, and running an “AI-free Friday” so engineers can still hand-cut and explain their own work. Aislinn also makes a strong case against cutting junior hiring in the AI era, warning it creates a false economy by hollowing out the pipeline of future senior talent. Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 Subscribe for more technology content /    / @londontechleaders1   Listen to The CTO Lens Podcast on other platforms https://linktr.ee/londontechleaders1 Check out London Tech Leaders Socials Instagram:   / thectolens   TikTok:   / ldntechleader.  . #technology #software #ai #ctolens