Artificial Ruby, Genuine Love

Dear Phoenix Friends,

We’re beyond excited to be presenting at Artificial Ruby! Our friends at Sublayer always put on a fantastic event, and this year is no exception. Tickets are sold out, but if you didn’t grab one, don’t worry - there’s always some last-minute movement. Join the waitlist because there’s still a chance to get in on the action!

As Phoenix continues to evolve, we’re pushing the limits of AI-powered test automation in Rails. This journey comes with its challenges, but every obstacle brings new insights. Read on to see what we’ve been learning, how we’re refining our AI systems, and how we’re shaping the future of software development.

On the Technical Side

Update:

AI agents have been a game-changer for Phoenix, but even cutting-edge tools like CrewAI have limits. We’ve been pushing the system hard and hitting real-world constraints - segmentation faults, async coordination issues, and memory overhead. The good news? We’re through the worst of it, and we’ve adapted our approach to make our AI processes more reliable and efficient.

Challenge: Building AI-powered automation is not just about getting answers - it’s about making sure the process doesn’t break down under real-world conditions. We’re learning how to optimize long-running AI workflows, minimize overhead, and make sure agents can handle Rails applications at scale without crashing.

How You Can Help: Have you hit performance issues with AI agent frameworks? What strategies have worked for you when dealing with long-running or async-heavy processes? We’d love to hear your insights!

On the Business Side

Update:

Our team is growing! We’re thrilled to welcome Jeff Ng as our new Product Strategist. Jeff brings industry-leading insights and deep expertise in building products that drive real value for engineering teams. He's the perfect fit for steering Phoenix’s product direction and maximizing its impact for our customers.

With Jeff’s help, we’re focusing on how Phoenix fits into long-term developer workflows, ensuring that what we’re building is not just a tool, but a true force multiplier for Rails teams.

Challenge: While Phoenix grows, we're committed to providing a ridiculous amount of value for our customers. What’s the next big thing developers need in AI-driven test automation? What’s the biggest friction point in your workflow today? These are the questions we’re tackling as we refine our roadmap.

How You Can Help: If you’re curious about how AI can make your Rails development smoother, faster, and more enjoyable—let’s talk! Your insights help shape Phoenix, and we want to build something that truly elevates your software development experience.