AI-first meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

AI-first

adj

Etymology Keeping with older mobile-first, cloud-first, etc.

Business Prioritizing the use of artificial intelligence (over human labor).

Artificial intelligence

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Alphabet’s Q1 earnings call: “In the long run, we will evolve in computing from a mobile-first to an AI-first world”.2016 May 20, Joanna Goodman, quoting Sundar Pichai, “Say one sentence and it’s done in the AI-first world”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
[…]GSA’s IT division, said at an all-hands meeting last month that the agency is pushing for an “AI-first strategy.”2025 March 10, Matteo Wong, “DOGE’s Plans to Replace Humans With AI Are Already Under Way”, in The Atlantic, retrieved 02 Jun 2025:

3 more examples

Shopify is one company emphasizing gen AI in the workplace, but it isn't the only one. Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn told employees in an all-hands email shared on LinkedIn that the language-learning company is going "AI-first." Hiring decisions (including for contractors) will be decided in part based on whether AI can do that work.2025 April 29, Jon Reed, “Shopify, Duolingo Workers Face a New Gen AI Reality at Work. Is Your Job Next?”, in CNET:
In April Duolingo, the language training app, said that it would go “AI-first”. That, in part, means only adding headcount if a team cannot automate more of its work.2025 May 24, “The great AI jobs disruption is under way”, in FT Weekend (The FT View section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8:
Employees have signed petitions against being tracked by A.I. and were trying to figure out who had been let go on Wednesday, as the Silicon Valley giant tries to transform into an A.I.-first company.2026 May 19, Eli Tan, Kalley Huang, Mike Isaac, “Meta Lays Off 8,000 Employees, as A.I. Casualties Mount”, in The New York Times, →ISSN: