Artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise, and many software developers are worried that they won’t be able to keep up. According to a group of experts from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, it is highly likely that AI will replace software experts by 2040. Trends in programming suggest that software development will undergo dramatic changes in the future: by 2040, the combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and code generation technologies will have advanced to the point that most code will no longer be written by humans but by machines. Software engineers are understandably concerned. More than one-third of the 550 software experts surveyed by Evans Data Corporation, a California-based market research firm specializing in software development, predict that artificial intelligence will one day replace their development work.

While some software professionals have resigned themselves to their fate, the majority want to understand how AI will impact software development so they can start acquiring new skills as soon as possible.

DeepCoder, a collaboration between Microsoft and scientists from the University of Cambridge, already gives us a glimpse into the future of software development. DeepCoder can generate desired outputs from inputs by predicting which attributes the application needs.

Software developers must recognize that they need to adapt their skills to successfully bridge the talent gap in the industry. Data scientists, software engineers, and machine learning engineers are the three most in-demand AI-related professions on the market, according to a study by the job search engine Indeed. Over the past three years, the demand for these and other AI-related jobs has more than doubled, and it is expected to continue at this pace. Mathematics, algebra, statistics, big data, data mining, data science, machine learning, cognitive computing, text analysis, natural language processing, Hadoop, Spark, and many other skills are required for software engineers working on AI projects.

It is clear that for most software engineers, mastering all AI-related skills would be nearly impossible, especially given the dizzying speed at which the AI field is evolving. Therefore, software engineers who want to remain relevant in the AI era should see themselves as expert generalists who are constantly acquiring new skills.

With a broad knowledge base, it is much easier to acquire critical expertise in a specific area depending on market demand. The most successful developers will be those who are best acquainted with the fundamental complexities of their field, such as which data is relevant and how ambiguity affects decision-making.

For many professionals, but perhaps even more so for developers, staying up to date is a constant necessity. Given the rapid pace of technological advancement, survival of the fittest will be the rule in many industries. You put yourself in the best possible position to build and sustain a successful career as a developer by making the effort to remain relevant amid industry changes and market fluctuations.

Professionals tend to believe that once they have “made it,” there is no longer an incentive to continue learning. They may think they have the right to put their education on hold once they have earned a bachelor’s degree and secured a full-time job, or once they have obtained a certification and received a salary increase. However, in an industry that evolves as rapidly as software development, this is a major misconception. New technologies are constantly being invented, and you can be sure that an aspiring software developer somewhere is learning all the new tricks. You don’t have to go back to university, but you do need to keep investing in your education.

There are formal methods, such as obtaining a master’s degree or certifications in new languages or programs, but these are usually expensive and time-consuming. Instead, you can simply take an online course to grasp the essentials. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to stay informed about new developments in this field that could be useful for your work.

Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change software development, forcing software experts to acquire new skills to remain competitive. Those who successfully adapt to the new era will be rewarded with a wide range of job opportunities, but the process will require a mindset different from that of many of today’s software engineers.