Introducing IBM Bob: AI Development Partner that Takes Enterprises from AI-Assisted Coding to Production-Ready Software

• 80,000+ IBM employees currently using IBM Bob; surveyed users report average 45% productivity gain
• Multi-model orchestration automatically routes each task to a suitable model based on accuracy, performance, and cost
• Goes beyond code generation to automate full software development lifecycle workflows
• Governance, compliance, and security controls built into every step

ARMONK, N.Y., April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the global availability of IBM Bob, an AI-first development partner built for enterprise teams. Bob doesn't just help developers write code fast. It works across the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), from planning and coding to testing, deployment, and modernization, with the governance and security controls enterprises need.

AI is changing how software gets built. But for most enterprises, that speed is running headfirst into decades of accumulated complexity: legacy systems, hybrid environments, compliance requirements, and the very real cost of getting it wrong. Fast AI without the right guardrails is not progress. It is just faster risk.

IBM Bob is designed to close that gap. It's built on a structured framework that embeds Bob into every role across the development process – including persona-based modes, enforced standards, reusable playbooks, tool calling, and human-in-the-loop governance – so teams can move fast while staying in control.

 Key capabilities include:

• AI-first SDLC orchestration: It is estimated that a significant portion of development effort is fragmented across tools, roles, and lifecycle stages—slowing delivery and introducing risk. Bob embeds agentic AI across the entire SDLC—from discovery and planning through design, coding, testing, deployment, and operations—coordinating specialized role-based agents, reusable skills, and governed workflows.
• Intelligent modernization: It is estimated that 60–80% of development budgets go toward modernization efforts that can take weeks or months.¹ Bob coordinates specialized agents across code, tests, documentation, and pipelines to execute complete modernization tasks. For example, Bob helped cloud solutions and consulting services company Blue Pearl conduct a typical 30-day Java upgrade in just 3 days, saving over 160 engineering hours.²
• Security controls built in from day one: AI isn't just accelerating software development; it's transforming the security landscape and introducing new risks. Bob includes prompt normalization, sensitive data scanning, real-time policy enforcement, and AI red-teaming directly within the development workflow, not as an afterthought.
• Auditability: AI-generated code can reach production without sufficient review, creating compliance blind spots. Bob's CLI (BobShell) creates self-documenting agentic processes in real time, so every action is traceable from start to finish.
• Multi-model orchestration: Bob dynamically routes tasks to a suitable model based on accuracy, performance, and cost, drawing on a mix of frontier models including Anthropic Claude, Mistral open source models, and IBM Granite, alongside specialized fine-tuned models for code reasoning, security, and next-edit prediction. Simpler completions go to lighter models. Complex tasks go to more capable ones. The goal: better outcomes and lower spend.
• Transparency and developer control: Bob's approval model lets developers configure checkpoints that match their workflow, from manual approvals to auto-approve by task type, keeping humans in the loop.

"Every business is racing to modernize. But speed without control and transparency is a liability. IBM Bob is how enterprises can move at AI speed without sacrificing the governance and security needs their businesses require. Bob was engineered by developers inside IBM for the millions like them worldwide, and it's the foundation on which enterprises will become truly AI-first." — Dinesh Nirmal, Senior Vice President, IBM Software

Stop managing models. Start managing outcomes.

Enterprises don't have a model problem. They have an outcome consistency problem. As AI adoption matures, the challenge isn't which model to use, it's how to consistently get the best result across a rapidly evolving landscape without making model selection an ongoing engineering distraction.

Bob handles this automatically. It draws on a mix of frontier LLMs, open source models, IBM Granite SLMs, and specialized fine-tuned models to route each task to a suitable model based on accuracy, latency, and cost across the full SDLC, from planning and coding to testing and validation. With pass-through pricing and usage visibility, organizations can align AI spend to real outcomes rather than experimentation.

"Developers need a system that understands the full context of their work and can act on it. That's what we built with Bob. It's an agentic platform that embeds an AI partner into every role across the SDLC, from the architect sketching a design to the security engineer reviewing code before it ships. We built Bob around a simple belief: model capability alone isn't enough. How you deploy it, how you structure context, and how you keep humans in the loop is what determines whether AI actually delivers. With Bob, we're helping developers to automate the mundane, and augment the complicated." — Neel Sundaresan, General Manager, Automation & AI, IBM Software

Proven at scale inside IBM

Bob launched inside IBM in June 2025 with 100 developers. It's now in use by more than 80,000 IBM employees worldwide. Those surveyed have self-reported an average productivity gain of 45% across modernization, security, and new development work. On specific tasks, the numbers were higher:

• Developers surveyed from the IBM Instana team reported an average 70% reduction in time spent on selected tasks, equaling an average time savings of 10 hours per week.
  
  
  
  
• The IBM Maximo developer team tested Bob for various code generation and refactoring tasks, including updating code – tasks that normally take days. With Bob, the team was able to complete the tasks in hours, resulting in an estimated 69% time savings.

Real-world results

Ernst & Young is using IBM Bob to accelerate modernization of their global tax platform by automating code refactoring, test generation, and documentation.

"Developing enterprise platforms isn't just about speed. It's about understanding deeply embedded logic, maintaining architectural standards, and evolving systems responsibly. EY teams leveraged IBM Bob to apply AI to better interpret complex logic and streamline how changes are introduced, helping create a stronger foundation for scalable transformation." 

— Christopher Aiken, Tax Platforms Leader and Chief Product Officer, Ernst & Young, LLP

Blue Pearl used Bob to accelerate delivery across its BlueApp platform. Work that typically required weeks of engineering effort was completed in three days, with zero defects post-deployment and over 160 hours saved through automated refactoring.

"Working with IBM through Bob…enabled us to deliver measurable value." — Saireshan Govender, Group CEO, Blue Pearl

APIS IT used Bob to modernize mission-critical government systems spanning decades of technical debt, including mainframe and .NET environments. Bob produced 10x faster architecture analysis and documentation, with 100% accuracy in documenting legacy JCL/PL/I systems, and migrated complex .NET services in hours rather than weeks.

"Bob migrated our complex .NET services in hours instead of weeks." — Veran Pokornić, Solution Architect, APIS IT

Availability

IBM Bob is now generally available as a SaaS offering, including a complimentary 30-day trial alongside individual and enterprise plans. On-premises deployment is targeted in the future for organizations with data residency or regulatory requirements. To access Bob, visit bob.ibm.com.

IBM Bob represents the evolution of IBM's code assistants, elevating capabilities to an end-to-end delivery model that delivers a step-change in productivity, modernization, and coordination across the SDLC. Existing WCA clients will continue to be fully supported and will have an adoption path to Bob.

Supporting Materials: 

Blog: Shifting from AI-assisted coding to AI-assisted delivery with IBM Bob

Blog: Introducing the IBM Bob Premium Package for Z

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM's hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to effect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM's breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM's long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information.

Media contact:

Sarah Benchaita

IBM

sarah.benchaita@ibm.com

¹ https://sync-sys.com/your-it-budget-is-80-maintenance/#:~:text=Your%20IT%20budget%20is%2080,generative%20AI%2C%20drive%20competitive%20advantages.  

² https://www.ibm.com/case-studies/blue-pearl-bob

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