Subject: Intelligent Automation January 2026 Newsletter

For intelligent automaters

January 2026

In this issue...

  • Featured: AI-Powered Complexity Analysis: How Machine Learning Sees What Traditional Metrics Miss - CM First

  • Article: At CES 2026, Everything Is AI. What Matters Is How You Use It - Wired

  • Watch: How LLMs Actually Generate Text (Every Dev Should Know This) - Learn That Stack

  • CA 2E/Plex Conference: Watch AI Day at the 14th CA 2E Plex Worldwide Developer Conference

  • Webinar - NexGen Pair Programming: AI Collaboration on IBM i and IBM z Systems - CM First Group

  • Intelligence: Intelligent automation news on the greater web

Featured

When Traditional Metrics Fail, AI Sees What Really Matters in Code


Traditional metrics often miss the true complexity of enterprise systems: tangled dependencies, hidden business logic, and cross-language interactions that create risk and slow modernization.


By applying machine learning, you can reveal hidden dimensions that static metrics overlook. These insights reframe how you estimate effort, prioritize work, and plan modernization. This gives leaders a clear view of where effort, cost, and risk are concentrated.


Understanding complexity the AI way lets you act with confidence, cut risk, and modernize effectively.


Read our full article →

Announcing CM evolveIT 11.7


Available for Streaming: Join us for informative, hands-on sessions focused on the new CM evolveIT 11.7 release. 


Tailored for future-minded developers, these sessions showcase groundbreaking enhancements aimed at revolutionizing your code analysis and transformation workflows. Expect hands-on demonstrations that you can take to your development workflows right away.

Watch one of these two webinars now...

Mainframe

Latest Advances in Mainframe COBOL Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn about cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools that promise streamlined analysis and transformation processes, automated tools that convert legacy COBOL code to Java, and advanced code slicing.


Watch Now

IBM i

Latest Advances in IBM i Code Analysis and Transformation

Learn how to cut your analysis costs by up to 80% with new capabilities. We'll demo new CA 2E (Synon) and CA Plex superpowers, AI and Code slicing innovations, and improved support for DB2 and COBOL and more.


Watch Now

Heads Up

At CES 2026, Everything Is AI. What Matters Is How You Use It


At this year’s CES in Las Vegas, AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s built into nearly every device, from smart glasses and wearables to home tech and automobiles. But when everything claims to be “AI,” the difference that matters most isn’t the label itself. It’s how intelligently and seamlessly it’s used in real products.


Amid the hype, usability and thoughtful design are the true differentiators.


You’ll see why simply having AI isn’t enough anymore. Leading tech will be defined by how well it integrates intelligence into everyday life and delivers real value, not just flashy features.


Read the full article on Wired →

Watch

How LLMs Actually Generate Text (Every Dev Should Know This)


LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini seem magical. But what’s happening under the hood? This video explains how models break language into tokens, map them into vectors, and use probability and attention to predict the next word.


It also covers why AI sometimes makes mistakes, how tokenization affects cost, and what this means for building reliable, efficient applications.


Understanding how LLMs generate text gives you the insight to harness AI effectively, reduce errors, optimize costs, and design systems that truly leverage its capabilities.


Jump to the full video →

 CA Plex/2E Worldwide Developer Conference 

Watch: AI Day at the CA 2E CA Plex Conference


Watch keynote addresses from IBM and Microsoft that cover the powerful role AI plays in modern application development, with a focus on IBM i. These streamable keynotes were delivered by experts with deep experience leveraging the mighty power of AI for developers ready to dive headfirst into the future! Watch these streamable keynotes any time.


Video Vault

Next-Gen Pair Programming: AI Collaboration on IBM i and IBM z Systems


Join us for a cutting-edge webinar that merges the art of pair programming with the innovation of AI for IBM i and IBM z systems. This session is dedicated to COBOL developers working on IBM's midrange and mainframe platforms and offers a deep dive into how AI can amplify coding collaboration and efficiency.


In this webinar:

  • Discuss the integration of AI-driven pair programming in IBM i and IBM z COBOL development.

  • Address the unique challenges of maintaining and evolving COBOL applications with AI support.

  • Showcase a live demonstration of AI tools tailored to IBM i and IBM z developers.

  • Share actionable strategies for embedding AI into the pair programming workflow on both platforms.

Whether you're involved in IBM i or IBM z development, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge to leverage AI for better code quality, faster problem-solving, and more productive pair programming sessions. Take the first step towards a smarter, AI-assisted development future.


Watch →

Are you tired of time-consuming manual testing software applications? Fortra's Automate Plus RPA is here to help. Join us for a webinar where we review the features of this powerful tool and show you how it can revolutionize your software testing processes, making it better, more accurate, and quicker to get results.


Watch →

Frightened about the prospect of your legacy IBM i and z application developers leaving? We have a solution that can put your fears to rest. In this webinar, we demonstrate how you can “refactor” your legacy app developed in COBOL, RPG, or CA 2E (Synon) directly to maintainable runtime-free Java and JS.


Watch →

 Broadcom Support 


Many enterprises struggle with obtaining Broadcom support for their CA 2E (Synon, COOL:2E) or CA Plex systems


If you're working with an older unsupported release, upgrading your IBM OS, or otherwise under the shadow of lapsed maintenance, we can get you back on Broadcom support based on your unique situation. We specialize in all sizes of customers.


Fill out our 2 minute form and schedule a no-commitment fifteen minute conversation with a CM First Group technical rep.

Get rock solid Broadcom support

CM First Support

Current CM First Group customers can access tutorials and submit support tickets at support.cmfirstgroup.com.

Current Releases


CM WebClient 1.8.7 (with nightly builds) For details, go here.

CM Matchpoint ALM 7.0 Build 004. For details, go here.

CM evolveIT 11.7, last supported 10.6
CM M3 2023 Edition
CA Plex 7.2.1 SP005, last supported 7.2.1 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
CA 2E 8.7.3, last supported 8.7 (as of January 31, 2022)
→ Details can be found here at Broadcom (login required)
Contact CM First to learn more: info@cmfirstgroup.com

Intelligence

CM First Group, 7000 North Mopac Expressway Suite #200, 78731, Austin, United States

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