"It's no longer possible to sell a programmer": Taras Kytsmey on the era of AI agents, domain names, and digital "electricity"

dev.ua continues to publish key theses on industry transformation from the top leaders of SoftServe, Intellias, and other industry representatives during DOU Day.

A team of three people and eight agents

According to Taras Kytsmey, with the advent of AI, the concept of a «team» is becoming blurred. Clients are less and less interested in the number of programmers involved — they are interested in a ready-made solution and a specific result for the business. This provokes a transition to outcome-based projects. In this format, the customer does not care how many people work on the code, and how many functions are performed by autonomous AI agents.

In this new paradigm, domain expertise plays a crucial role. The client will value not just knowledge of Java or Python, but a deep understanding of how logistics, fintech or retail works. It is this understanding of business processes that allows IT companies to sell high margins instead of simply renting developers.

AI as the new electricity and the foundation of education

Kitsmey compares artificial intelligence to the advent of electricity. Once it replaced muscle power, AI is now replacing intellectual routine. He predicts that AI will enter every industry without exception, from medicine to finance, and this will fundamentally change the approach to learning.

Higher education, according to the SoftServe co-founder, should remain fundamental. Algorithmic programming will become the same base as physics or mathematical analysis. It will be taught not to write code every day, but to understand what is happening «under the hood» in systems generated by AI. Without understanding the basics, it is impossible to manage the «intelligent power plants» of the future. Therefore, elements of using AI should be integrated into every university program now.

Closed path for «classic» Junos

The next two years will be critical for beginners. The classic path to IT through programming courses is effectively closed for tens of thousands of people. The transformation of roles and positions in the industry, where 300 thousand specialists already work, means that the need for «just coders» is zero or even negative.

The future of Juns now lies in domain knowledge. A newcomer should not just be a C++ expert, he should be a Jun in finance or retail who can write specifications for AI, understanding business logic. Companies will increasingly create highly specialized laboratories based on universities (for example, in the Automotive sector) to train personnel for specific niches, rather than «developers in general.»

«In two years we will forget about writing code.» Taras Kytsmey (SoftServe) and Vitaliy Sedler (Intellias) on how AI will reshape the IT market

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«In two years we will forget about writing code.» Taras Kytsmey (SoftServe) and Vitaliy Sedler (Intellias) on how AI will reshape the IT market