In this company, programmers are becoming 'bot managers'

As reported in a New York Times article, at SAP, artificial intelligence is already replacing a significant portion of software developers' work. Activities such as brainstorming, research, writing, and testing code are increasingly being entrusted to AI agents, while the human role shifts towards supervision, coordination, and mentoring of automated systems.

The change is already visible in the internal structure of work: fewer repetitive tasks, more management of flows generated by digital agents operating as advanced assistants or true "virtual colleagues." Several employees report an increase in creative and design activities compared to traditional coding.

According to CEO Christian Klein, the software development model is rapidly evolving and could drastically reduce the centrality of manual programming in the coming years, replaced by a hybrid human-AI workforce.

Organizationally, SAP has already gone through a restructuring phase with about 10,000 positions eliminated, partly attributed to automation. At the same time, the company claims to have increased its net workforce since 2023 by introducing new professional roles focused on integrating AI into client projects.

The case is also being monitored at the European level: according to several economists, the adoption of AI could help offset the shortage of skilled workers linked to demographic aging. However, the transition is hindered by infrastructural delays and Europe’s reliance on AI models developed in the United States.

In this context, SAP represents an example of rapid transformation but not without uncertainties: increased productivity and automation on one hand, strategic and geopolitical risks on the other, particularly related to dependency on external technologies and the possible reduction in demand for traditional software.