Hitachi: AI era needs more engineers, not just COBOL skills

Hitachi's message comes as generative AI is starting to change how legacy system modernization is done. According to the article, some companies are already applying generative AI to large-scale projects, including work on black-boxed undocumented specifications and code conversion. That sets up a contrast: even as AI handles more of the technical conversion, Hitachi argues the human engineer's role becomes more important, not less.

The broader context is a shift in what counts as the bottleneck. The headline itself pushes back on the common assumption that a lack of COBOL engineers is the core problem. Instead, the article frames the challenge around how AI is applied to the hardest parts of modernization and how the roles of vendors and users change in that process. It also points to timing and groundwork as key factors for replatforming.

What the outcome hinges on is whether organizations can pair AI-driven conversion with the right human oversight and preparation. For IT leaders and engineers, the practical question is where human judgment remains essential as AI takes on more code-level work. The article does not settle that question, but it signals that the answer is likely to shape how modernization projects are staffed and sequenced.