Artificial intelligence changes how software is developed and valued
When Digitalization Transforms Itself: AI, Software, and the Next Technical Order
Software EngineeringComputers and Society
Summary
The paper explains that artificial intelligence is not just helping with tasks like digitizing information anymore. Instead, AI is starting to build and improve the software systems that create digital technologies themselves. This means that machines are now doing parts of software development traditionally done by humans, which could change how software engineering works and its importance in society. The authors argue that software engineering is becoming a key foundation for creating societal value and controlling digital technology.
What this means in practice
- •For software engineering teams: Adjust team roles and processes to integrate AI systems that autonomously manage multiple steps in software development.
- •For technology strategy planners: Develop strategies that recognize software engineering as critical infrastructure for value creation and digital independence.
A position paper. It proposes an approach and reports no results.
Authors
Ina K. Schieferdecker
Abstract
Agentic artificial intelligence (AI) marks a new phase of digitalization: digitalization is beginning to act back upon its own technical production base. Whereas earlier phases aimed at digitizing analog information, automating processes, and building digital value networks, AI is increasingly taking over tasks in the development of digital systems themselves. In software engineering (SE) in particular, agentic AI systems can already plan, execute, check, and iteratively refine development tasks across multiple steps. Digitalization thus becomes recursive: digital systems no longer merely support the digitalization of other sectors, but are increasingly developed and evolved by digital systems themselves. The technical production base of digitalization thereby becomes the object of its own transformation. This changes not only the division of labor between humans and machines in SE, but also the role of SE as a whole. This chapter analyzes this socio-technical change and argues that SE is evolving from a primarily supporting engineering discipline into a central infrastructure of societal value creation as well as of technological and digital sovereignty.