A new report cites that 80% of engineers will need to upskill by 2027 to meet the growing demands of AI, according to Gartner, with AI set to dramatically reshape the software engineering landscape. In the short term, AI tools will support developers and increase productivity, especially for senior engineers who can leverage these tools to enhance their work.
As AI evolves, it will take over more routine tasks, leading to the rise of ‘AI-native software engineering,’ where the majority of code is generated by AI, and engineers will focus on guiding these AI systems with the right context and constraints.
To thrive in this new era, engineers must develop skills in AI-related areas, such as natural language prompt engineering and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). The rise of AI will also create a new role — the ‘AI engineer’ — blending expertise in software engineering, AI, and machine learning. These AI engineers will be critical as organisations seek to build more advanced AI-driven systems.
While there is concern that AI could reduce the demand for human engineers, Gartner emphasises that human creativity and expertise will still be essential for delivering complex and innovative software. Companies are already seeing the value in AI skills, with employers offering up to a 31 per cent salary premium for those with expertise in AI. This trend reflects the importance of upskilling early to stay competitive in an industry that is rapidly evolving due to AI.
This shift opens a unique opportunity for engineers to expand their skill sets, while also maintaining a strong expertise in software engineering. Organisations should invest in both of these capabilities now, building teams that are prepared for the future of AI-driven software engineering to ensure their workforce thrives in an evolving digital world.”
Sheila Flavell CBE, COO of FDM group said:“The rapid adoption of AI within software engineering opens up new opportunities for software development, as well as upskilling in both core software engineering and AI. As the use of AI tools become more frequent, engineers will need to strengthen their expertise in software engineering practices, as well as effectively oversee and guide AI-driven systems.”
