AI-First DevOps and ITSM: Building a scalable model for intelligent, continuous software engineering

The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), DevOps, and IT Service Management (ITSM) is transforming the future of intelligent software engineering. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of AI methods implemented in DevOps and ITSM over the past decade. From anomaly detection and incident triage to CI/CD optimization and automated change management, the integration of AI enables self-healing, adaptive, and predictive operations. We highlight the theoretical models, architectures, and experimental validations that demonstrate significant improvements in efficiency, fault tolerance, and automation quality. Despite promising advances, key research gaps remain, particularly in model generalizability, data privacy, explainability, and real-world scalability. This paper concludes by proposing a roadmap for future research in AI-first DevOps and ITSM to drive next-generation continuous software engineering.