'AI-first, but make it useful.' A chat with Daemon's AI-first squad

AI’s everywhere these days, powering chatbots, vibe coding software, quietly stressing out CTOs. But for businesses trying to turn all that promise into practical results, the buzz can feel more exhausting than exciting.

This is why we developed Daemon's AI-First Squad. A lean, cross-functional team that blends engineering know-how with AI-first thinking. Our mission is simple: help clients move faster, smarter, and with less faff, without getting lost in the hype.

We sat down with Jimmy Headdon, Head of Delivery Excellence (and former McLaren engineer, yes, there’s a Formula 1 car on his wall) to find out how Daemon’s AI-first approach actually works. 

Connect with Jimmy on LinkedIn

Hi Jimmy! Tell us what Daemon’s AI-First Squad actually means.

"I spent a decade at McLaren leading performance software and race operations teams, where AI and fast iteration are second nature," says Jimmy. "At Daemon, I sponsor the AI-First Squad. We’ve got digital engineers, deeply proficient in AI-first ways of working, but it’s not just about tech. It’s about shifting thinking."

The squad isn’t just there to ‘do AI’. They use AI tools to speed up delivery, improve quality, and remove friction. 

"It might be AI in the product, or just AI in how we deliver the product," Jimmy adds. "It’s all about leverage. How do we deliver better, faster, without compromising quality?"

What does real impact look like? Any success stories?

"Plenty. We’re working with everyone from startups looking to reduce costs, to big UK retailers embracing AI across a range of functions."

The AI-First Squad thrives in those complex, layered spaces: where cross-functional teams struggle with silos, and requirements get lost in translation.

"We help businesses accelerate time-to-market and time-to-value. It’s about removing blockers, the classic disconnect between devs, testers, architects. Most of the time, delays come from poor requirements or friction between teams. We solve that."

And they don’t overstay their welcome. "We pride ourselves on making ourselves redundant. High-quality work that lasts. We enable clients so they don’t need us forever."

Find out more about Daemon's AI-First Squad

Plenty of businesses still struggle to find real use cases. How do you help cut through the noise?

"That’s one of the biggest challenges," Jimmy admits. "We get approached by CIOs, CTOs, they want the ten-times engineer effect, but they’re unsure of readiness."

Daemon helps connect AI potential to real business outcomes. It starts with a discovery period: "We talk KPIs, pain points, what's been tried, what’s worked, or not, and why. 

Then we find those isolated opportunities to test AI-first ways of working, but properly, not as some throwaway proof-of-concept."

Above all, we’re here to help clients link AI to actual results. We look for faster, more valuable ways to deliver, regardless of their AI readiness. 

Watch our recent webinar, ‘Ready, Set… Transform!’ to assess your AI-readiness

How does it feel, day-to-day, working in an AI-first way?

"It should feel different,  in a good way," says Jimmy. "It’s about challenging how you work. It took me a while to change, I’ll be honest. We’re creatures of comfort, and it’s often hard to identify opportunities to approach things differently!"

AI doesn’t replace expertise, but it does provide a second opinion. "It validates your approach, spots gaps, suggests alternatives. It’s like having another experienced engineer on the team, who doesn’t get tired."

From AI-assisted meeting transcripts that turn into actionable tasks, to AI challenging project estimates, it’s about making every part of delivery smarter.

You call it ‘low-risk’. But isn’t AI full of unknowns, especially for regulated industries?

"That’s the beauty of the approach, we tailor it," explains Jimmy. "Some clients want to move fast, others need transformation first."

They start with pilot projects, embedding experienced engineers who transfer knowledge to client teams over time. "It becomes client-led. Self-sufficient. That’s unique, we empower them to run with it once we’re gone."

For regulated industries, there’s nuance. 

"Some can’t touch open-source tools for security reasons. That’s fine, we adapt. Self-hosting, private cloud, whatever fits their environment. We don’t push silver bullets. It’s appropriate AI for your business."

Finally, what changes have you seen when AI-first really clicks?

"It’s the lightbulb moment," says Jimmy, grinning. "We had a client, completely fatigued by AI pitches. But when we talked about accelerating end-to-end delivery, not just faster coding, but reducing friction, handovers, rework, you could see it made sense."

AI-first isn’t just about productivity gains. It’s about removing bottlenecks, getting from whiteboard to production faster, with quality intact.

"The most exciting stuff isn’t in the coding," Jimmy adds. "It's when teams realise AI helps them leverage what they’ve already got:  policies, standards, definitions of done. Things they’ve written but forgotten to use properly.”

In short? AI-first isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about practical, impactful, appropriate change, and making sure when Daemon leaves, the value sticks around.

Want to see the art of the possible for your team? Let’s chat.