Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
software engineering
agentic AI
future skills
verification and validation
developer education
Skills for the future software profession: beyond agentic AI!
🤖 AI Summary
This study addresses the challenge of redefining core competencies for future software engineers in an era where AI coding agents are reshaping software engineering practices. Drawing on expert roundtables held in New York and Singapore in 2026, complemented by in-depth interviews and industry case studies, the research presents the first systematic framework of software engineering skills tailored to agent-based development paradigms. Findings indicate that as AI agents assume responsibility for code implementation, human developers must prioritize advanced capabilities such as verification and validation, systems thinking, and human-agent collaboration. This work provides both theoretical grounding and practical guidance for software engineering education and workforce development in the age of intelligent agents.
📝 Abstract
As coding agents are rapidly changing software engineering, a natural question is: what are the core skills needed by future software engineers? To identify where software engineering is headed and thus what skills will be needed, we summarize the results of two round-tables with researchers and industrial practitioners, held in 2026 in New York and Singapore. One key finding is that verification and validation is increasing in importance as agents handle implementation, as highlighted by anecdotes from the events. From our observations, we identify the skills developers need in the agentic era of development, with implications for training and educating future software engineers in coming years.
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
agentic AI
software engineering skills
verification and validation
future workforce
AI-assisted development
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