Accelerating Application Modernization with AI-Powered QE: From Legacy to Cloud-Native

Modern enterprises are at a crossroads: legacy systems, once the backbone of business operations, now stand as barriers to innovation, agility, and growth. The journey from monolithic or mainframe architectures to cloud-native, agile platforms is essential—but fraught with risk, complexity, and the ever-present threat of technical debt. At Publicis Sapient, in partnership with Google Cloud, we are redefining this journey by fusing AI-powered Quality Engineering (QE) with intelligent automation, enabling organizations to modernize faster, safer, and with measurable business impact.

The Legacy Modernization Imperative

Legacy systems are costly to maintain, difficult to integrate, and expose organizations to security and compliance risks. They slow the delivery of new features, frustrate users, and drain resources that could otherwise fuel innovation. Yet, the path to modernization is daunting: complex codebases, scarce expertise, and the risk of business disruption often stall progress. Nearly 80% of application modernization projects fail to deliver on their promise, largely due to these challenges.

AI-Powered QE: The Catalyst for Modernization

Quality Engineering has evolved from a reactive, end-of-line activity to a proactive, continuous discipline embedded throughout the software development lifecycle. When powered by AI, QE becomes a force multiplier for modernization:

• Automated Code Transformation: AI models analyze and refactor legacy code, accelerating migration to modern languages, frameworks, and microservices. This reduces manual effort, minimizes errors, and ensures robust, rapid modernization.
• AI-Driven Testing: Generative AI automates the creation of test cases, unit tests, and regression suites. It identifies edge cases, predicts defects, and suggests code fixes—dramatically improving test coverage and software quality while reducing the burden on engineering teams.
• Intelligent CI/CD Integration: AI-led automation embeds quality gates and validation into CI/CD pipelines, ensuring every release meets rigorous standards for functionality, performance, security, and compliance. This enables faster, safer deployments and minimizes business disruption.

Google Cloud: The Foundation for Intelligent Modernization

Publicis Sapient leverages Google Cloud’s comprehensive suite of AI and cloud-native services to streamline every phase of modernization:

• Vertex AI: A unified platform for building, tuning, and deploying AI models. Vertex AI powers automated code analysis, test generation, and intelligent workflow automation.
• Gemini Code Assist: An AI-driven coding assistant that accelerates code transformation, debugging, and test creation. Gemini helps teams refactor legacy code, identify performance bottlenecks, and modernize application stacks with confidence.
• Cloud-Native Tooling: Google Cloud Run, Firebase Test Lab, and Cloud Build provide scalable, serverless environments for testing, deployment, and observability—enabling seamless migration and continuous validation across distributed architectures.

Sapient Slingshot: Accelerating QE and Modernization

At the heart of our approach is Sapient Slingshot, Publicis Sapient’s proprietary AI-powered platform. Slingshot automates functional, non-functional, and UI testing, generates comprehensive test cases and scripts, and delivers dynamic reporting for real-time defect analysis. Integrated with Google Cloud, Slingshot enables:

• End-to-End Test Automation: Instantly generate and execute tests for APIs, microservices, and user interfaces, ensuring broad coverage and rapid feedback.
• Intelligent Defect Detection: AI agents predict, identify, and remediate defects before they impact users, reducing costly rework and downtime.
• Seamless SDLC Integration: Slingshot connects with CI/CD pipelines and project management tools, providing traceability, collaboration, and compliance across the modernization journey.

Organizations leveraging Sapient Slingshot have achieved up to 99% code-to-spec accuracy, 50–60% increases in defect detection and correction, and over 50% reduction in modernization costs and cycle times.

Real-World Impact: Measurable Outcomes

Organizations that embrace AI-powered QE for modernization realize tangible benefits:

• Faster Time-to-Value: Automated code migration and testing accelerate modernization by up to 3x, enabling quicker delivery of new features and experiences.
• Reduced Technical Debt: AI-driven refactoring and continuous validation minimize legacy code risks and ensure that modernized systems are resilient and maintainable.
• Lower Costs and Resource Requirements: Automation reduces manual effort, freeing teams to focus on innovation rather than repetitive tasks. Clients have seen up to 50% fewer resources required and 75% reductions in reporting time.
• Enhanced Quality and Security: Expanded test coverage, automated compliance checks, and real-time observability ensure that every release is robust, secure, and aligned with business objectives.

Success in Action

• Leading Benefits Provider: Used AI-powered automation to migrate mainframe applications to the cloud, achieving 3x faster migration and improved maintainability.
• Global Asset Management Firm: Standardized on automated sanity testing and reusable components, reducing new site build time by 89% and automating 100% of sanity tests.
• Major Restaurant Chain: Leveraged cloud-based AI/ML analytics and automated testing to achieve 5x faster testing cycles and 50% fewer resources required.

Why Publicis Sapient + Google Cloud?

As a Premier Google Cloud Partner with decades of digital engineering expertise, Publicis Sapient offers:

• Proven Modernization Frameworks: Modular, AI-driven accelerators tailored to your unique legacy landscape.
• Deep Cloud and AI Expertise: Dedicated Google Cloud business unit and proprietary platforms like Sapient Slingshot.
• Security-First Approach: Enterprise-grade security, zero-trust models, and automated compliance at every layer.
• Outcome-Driven Delivery: Relentless focus on business value, customer experience, and measurable results.

Ready to Accelerate Your Modernization Journey?

Application modernization is no longer a one-time project—it’s a continuous capability. With AI-powered QE and Google Cloud, Publicis Sapient helps you move from legacy to cloud-native faster, safer, and with greater business impact. Connect with our experts to discover how we can help you unlock agility, reduce technical debt, and deliver the digital experiences your customers demand.