While AI will make engineering more efficient, organizations will need even more skilled software engineers to meet the rapidly increasing demand for AI-empowered software. “Bold claims on the ability of AI have led to speculation that AI could reduce demand for human engineers or even supplant them entirely,” said Philip Walsh, a Gartner senior principal analyst. “While AI will transform the future role of software engineers, human expertise and creativity will always be essential to delivering complex, innovative software.”
IT workers are paying attention to the need to bolster their skills. A survey by genAI tech company Amdocs of 500 full-time workers who use Gen AI-powered tools or software showed half of Gen Z respondents would consider looking for a new job if their company did not train them on the technology. That compared to 37% of Gen X and 27% of Baby Boomers who said the same thing.
“Many of the larger firms continue to be focused on improvements in productivity and replacing lower-level skills with AI applications,” Janulaitis said, noting that AI continues to slow the growth of entry-level IT positions, especially in customer service, internal reporting, telecommunications, and hosting automation.