AI Product Builders Week: How hands-on experimentation is shaping Atlassian’s future
These days, companies everywhere are asking: how can I get more teams using AI? And what should I do besides just saying “use AI” or forcing everyone to take yet another training?
At Atlassian, we’ve found that meaningful adoption comes when teams are inspired to experiment and see firsthand how AI can elevate their work.
This was the guiding thought behind our AI Product Builders week. Our goal was simple: give every builder, no matter their tech skills, a safe place to experiment, learn, and push AI’s limits. We wanted to spark a mindset shift, empowering teams to see for themselves how AI can change the way they work.
Reflecting on the exercise, I’m proud to say we achieved that – and lots more.
AI Week catapulted my knowledge, curiosity, and hands-on experience in just days. What could’ve taken months of self-learning gave thousands of Atlassians the confidence and tools to accelerate our AI journey.
Head of Design, Navigation and Platform Experiences
Creating space for exploration
During Builders week, over 1,000 of us – designers, product managers, leaders, and myself included – set aside daily tasks to grow our AI skills and confidence. Over the course of four days, we explored how peers are already using AI and how it’s reshaping product management and design; spent time mastering tools via hands-on sessions; and hosted a build day to apply what we learned and share it through Loom videos. We intentionally synchronised the time across teams and crafts, so everyone felt free to step away from their usual work to tinker and learn together without feeling like they were blocking someone.
This wasn’t just about building cool demos (though there were plenty of those!). The biggest wins came from building useful AI-powered workflows and creating a space where participants could ask tough questions, try new things, and fail without fear. The results say it all: 96% of participants rated the week as Excellent or Good – and here’s why:
5 takeaways from AI Product Builders Week
1. Immersion beats theory
One of our most significant learnings was just how powerful it is to set aside dedicated time for experimentation. I often tell my teams that reading or listening to podcasts about technology will only get you so far – that true confidence and behavioural change come from experiencing the tools and seeing their impact firsthand. So our goal was to remove distractions and reduce the pressure of “getting it right” so teams could feel free to jump in, imagine, iterate, and lean into what’s possible.
It was great to just get some hands-on time with the tools… increasing the likelihood that I’ll reach for them in the future.
Our AI Collaboration Index found that knowledge workers who have seen their manager model AI are four times more likely to consistently experiment with AI. In this spirit of sharing, we kicked off the week with a showcase, where internal AI superusers demonstrated how they’re already using AI in their workflows. By being open and vulnerable, they encouraged others to dive in and experiment as well. Our main measure of success for the week was to maximise learning. Ultimately, we learned just as much from each other as we did in the workshops.
2. Solving for real, lived problems creates momentum
We encouraged participants to anchor their projects in real-world challenges to help improve their daily workflows or enhance the lives of our customers. We saw everything from production-ready prototypes matching the Atlassian design system, to intelligent agents woven into workflows at every stage of the software development lifecycle, from analysing customer feedback to resolving bugs. The result was over 115 new ways to use AI, captured in a growing playbook, and 77 Loom explainers to help others learn. It was inspiring to see how quickly teams moved from “what if?” to “look what we built!” and how the tone we intentionally set made it easier to share rough drafts and half-baked ideas without fear of judgment.
The last session of building on your own was VERY interactive and forced us to use the tool. This was a better form of learning form of learning for me.
3. Experimentation and iteration are essential
Throughout the week, we saw countless “aha moments” as teams realised that progress comes from trying, failing, and trying again. We celebrated learning above all; whether a demo worked or failed, everyone shared what they discovered, and in some cases, teams even updated their backlogs to put those lessons into action. I believe this culture of experimentation – where it’s safe to take risks and admit what you don’t know – is what sets Atlassian apart, and it’s something we encourage other organisations to embrace as well. We apply this philosophy to how we build: don’t aim for perfection on the first try – focus on delivering value early and use feedback to improve.
builders week “aha moments”
87% of participants said they had an “aha moment” about how they can use AI in their work. Here are a few of my favourites:
- “Using AI in your work is not as scary as it seemed before this week.”
- “AI can help you visualize product ideas in minutes, but the last-mile finesse can still drive you nuts. It’s not just about having access to the tools; it’s about learning to speak their language.”
- “I see a future where behavioral strategies, human-centered design, and AI meet – building systems that support human behavior, not just adapt.”
- “Designing with AI isn’t about replacing our process – it’s about amplifying curiosity, refining our intuition, and evolving how we learn and build together.”
4. Cross-craft collaboration accelerates learning
There’s something special about learning together – sharing wins, troubleshooting bugs, and cheering each other on. Our chats buzzed with questions and encouragement, and by the end of the week, our collective knowledge bank had grown exponentially. At the core of AI Product Builders Week was a genuine “we’re all in this together” spirit – a sense of mutual curiosity, support, and experimentation. We had a giant Slack room with over 1,000 participants, where people openly shared their fails, tips, tricks, and even rage memes about AI not working. This created a safe, supportive space for everyone to ask questions, swap advice, and help each other grow.
Seeing how others were making prototypes inspired entirely new approaches.
5. Upskilling across crafts means AI literacy for all
Perhaps the most exciting outcome was seeing people of all crafts and skills gain confidence with AI tools. For many, the biggest shift was realising that you don’t need deep technical expertise to get started. Hands-on experimentation made AI more approachable and boosted adoption, especially for those newer to technical tools. I truly believe that soon, being AI-literate will be as essential as being Excel-literate. As our crafts evolve, it’s helpful to reflect not just on how AI can be “added on” to our roles but rather, step back and think about how the entire workflow can change.
So throughout the week, we asked ourselves: how can I make a bigger impact? How can AI help me do what I wasn’t able to do before? On the build day, we spent three hours executing on that inspiration, culminating in a broad range of final projects. Ultimately, 99% of participants agreed the final project effectively helped them apply what they learned in a practical, demonstrable way.
Embracing creativity
Among all the inspiring work that came out of Builders Week, a few projects especially stood out for how they pushed the boundaries of what PMs and designers can do, giving each the chance to step beyond traditional expectations and experiment with new ways of working:
✨ Navigation Builder
A prototype to build more prototypes! One team built an app that generates multiple versions of Atlassian’s navigation system to help product and design teams quickly visualize new looks, test, edit, and implement changes.
✨ Post Office Messenger
A self-serve companion that helps Atlassian deliver clearer, more timely in-product messages. It makes it easier for teams to communicate important changes, tips, and announcements directly within our products so customers get updates faster.
✨ Growth Experiments Agent
An agent that helps teams build on learnings from past experiments. Rather than starting from scratch, you can ask, “has someone already done this before? If so, what did we learn?” which helps teams connect the dots and find subject matter experts.
✨ Partner 360
A dashboard that gives a comprehensive view of Atlassian’s partner network, showing performance metrics, key contacts, and areas of opportunity so teams can make more informed decisions across the business.
One of my favourite moments was celebrating our “Coolest Fail/Pivot” award – honouring teams for their courage, resiliency, and ability to adapt when things didn’t go as planned. We also recognised standout creativity and teamwork with awards for “Most Creative” and “Mentor Favourite,” spotlighting inventive solutions and exceptional collaboration.
Looking ahead
AI Product Builders Week was more than an event – it was a signal of how we work at Atlassian. We believe in creating space for curiosity, supporting each other as we learn, and building real solutions that make a difference. Atlassians thrive in an environment where experimentation is encouraged, collaboration is second nature, and psychological safety is a given.
And what excites me most is what this means for our customers. By building our own fluency and curiosity, we can deliver smarter, more impactful solutions – so our customers can thrive in a world powered by AI.