# Skills for the future software profession: beyond agentic AI!

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.21894 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.21894/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 10 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Jun 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Rango: Adaptive Retrieval-Augmented Proving for Automated Software Verification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.14063/) (2024)
- [Developer Interaction Patterns with Proactive AI: A Five-Day Field Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.10253/) (2026)
- [Agentic Verification of Software Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.17330/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

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.