I’m still thinking about what AI era teams look like. The metaphor I’ve been pondering is that these new team shapes will compare to the classic DDaT/GDaD ‘two pizza team’ in the same way that Sevens does with Rugby Union.

This might be influenced by the fact it is the opening weekend of the Nations Championship!

The teams are smaller, things happen faster, it can look chaotic and unstructured but there are tactics and method in the madness.

The same goals (heh) remain.

The roles share names and many of the same core skills…but the responsibilities and activities of each team member blend and merge in a manner quite unforgiving to non-specialists. Expectations are different and outputs evolve accordingly. Though some can excel in either format.

…and all of this happens on the same pitch as XVs. So the environment they are operating in remains the same.

(This is what makes Sevens different from other ‘short form’ sports like 3×3 basketball, touch football or Futsal – all played on specific courts/pitches).

Of course these different formats of the game exist side-by-side and specialists in Sevens did not emerge overnight…but they did emerge.

…and I am aware that my corner of the interwebs is bringing up the rear somewhat here – and that these new AI era teams are already springing up (I don’t mean the solo, vibe coders generating oodles of folk software but minimal viable teams) and that once again that William Gibson quote has a new lease of life;

The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.