Considering the recent rise of AI & Large Language Models, what will the role of a software engineer look like in 2030?

While some may argue that the 2030 horizon is too distant, I deliberately chose this timeline to address the concerns of those who are contemplating a career in software. Many people are anxious about the future demand for technical roles, and I believe it's crucial to take a step back and look beyond the current chaos of new tools flooding the market. It's essential not to get too hyper-focused and overwhelmed by these developments. Instead, we need to seek out the signal amidst the noise and gain a broader perspective.?

In the following reading, I seek to make a few macro level predictions on what we might expect over the coming years. I'm sure it’ll be very interesting to look back at some of these predictions to see just how far off I was.?

Over the past few decades we have seen greater and greater abstraction, from c to java, from data centers to cloud and so on. This will continue and pick up pace driving a push towards the edge. What I mean by that is the mundane tasks of building undifferentiated API, UI, and infrastructure code will be largely commoditized. Software engineers will work higher up the value chain.

I think it’s highly likely that in the short to medium term, software engineers may spend more time reviewing and tweaking code that has originally been created by artificial intelligence rather than writing it for themselves from scratch.?

AI-generated code will need human oversight to ensure it’s secure, efficient, correct and compliant. The role of the “human” software engineer will shift to spend more time developing complex system designs that require a comprehensive understanding of the business domain.?Consequently, we will witness an emergence of more specialized roles in particular business domains or technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, autonomous vehicles, data engineering, and virtual reality.?

Understanding the business domain you work in has always been a significant advantage for any software engineer. However, if it's not already the case, having a deep understanding of the business domain you work in will be absolutely essential for any software professional in the future. In the coming years, I anticipate the idea of a multifunctional team to become increasingly prevalent in most companies. The advent of new technology will drive convergence and facilitate greater collaboration between various stakeholders, including business owners, analysts, data scientists, product managers, designers, and engineers. The tools used across these roles will likely exhibit greater consistency and cross-functionality than we see today.

I feel bullish that demand for software engineers will continue to be strong in the years ahead. As technology continues to play an increasingly central role in every aspect of modern life, it follows then, that we will have a corresponding need for software engineers to design, build and maintain the systems that power our world.?

The rapid evolution of Artificial Intelligence can evoke both excitement and fear in equal measure. It will require careful consideration at each stage of its evolution and application. For now, I’ll focus on the exciting part and for me that is going to be its potential application in medicine. So here’s my final prediction and my goodness I hope I’m right on this one; Artificial Intelligence will find a definitive cure for cancer within this decade.

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