Continuous integration (CI) aims to find problems early by automatically building and testing code changes. With CI, every code change triggers automated builds, running tests, scans, and deploying to test environments to check if the change breaks anything. The goals are to detect issues immediately, ensure all code is compilable and tests pass, and produce candidate releases quickly. CI requires source control, build servers, automated tests, and developers who fix problems from failed builds. It helps reduce defects but requires resources to implement and maintain.