What Skills Do Developers NEED To Have In An AI Future?

AI can write code. But can it decide what good code looks like? In this episode of Modern Software Engineering's One Big Question, Kent Beck and Trisha Gee explore what really matters when coding with AI tools like Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Cursor. As AI programming accelerates, the hard part of software development is no longer typing code — it’s judgment, design, communication, and confidence. We dig into how coding with AI is changing day-to-day software engineering, why “vibe coding” misses the point, and what developers actually need to learn to stay effective. This isn’t a tutorial on how to use Claude Code step-by-step — it’s a deeper look at how to think when working with Claude Code agents, AI assistants, and agentic workflows. You’ll learn: • What vibe coding really is — and why it’s not enough • How Claude Code tips and AI tools amplify existing engineering habits • Why human vs AI is the wrong framing — and what AI vs human gets wrong • Which software engine