AI Won't Empty the Software Factory: Why the New Engineers Act Like Foremen
CIO.com, Friday, October 9th, 2026
Executives cutting engineering headcount over AI misread the job; demand for engineers who steward AI-built code will grow.
AI lets enterprises produce code dramatically faster, tempting executives to cut engineering headcount, but the author warns that speed is not the same as fitness for purpose or security.
Research from Faros AI shows individual coders speed up while review and rework swallow the gains at the team level, and the Jevons paradox suggests cheaper software will raise demand for engineers who think systemically.
Engineers are recast as foremen who direct, review and take responsibility for AI output rather than typing every line themselves.