# Semantic drift and semantic integrity: Stewarding meaning in the age of AI

DevFeed: [Semantic drift and semantic integrity: Stewarding meaning in the age of AI](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/semantic-drift-and-semantic-integrity-stewarding-meaning-in-the-age-of-ai-57120.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.thoughtworks.com/insights/blog/data-strategy/semantic-drift-stewarding-meaning-ai>)

Author: Raul Vega

Published: 2026-05-26T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Thoughtworks Insights](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/thoughtworks-insights.md>)

Topics: [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [AI-assisted coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-assisted-coding.md>), [data](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/data.md>), [integrity](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/integrity.md>)

Tags: [ai-assisted-coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-assisted-coding.md>), [integrity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/integrity.md>), [meaning](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/meaning.md>), [semantic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/semantic.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>)

## AI overview

The article explains semantic drift: the growing gap between software implementation and business meaning. Using retail shopping-bag logic as an example, it argues that vague terms, overloaded models, and undocumented business rules can weaken system integrity and make feature development difficult. It emphasizes preserving domain meaning in architecture as AI-assisted coding accelerates implementation.

## Source excerpt

Semantic drift and semantic integrity: Stewarding meaning in the age of AI