AI is changing how software is developed and what skills developers need. Helmes CEO Jaan Pillesaar was among the technology leaders who shared their views with the Estonian Business Daily. Pillesaar expects global demand for software to continue growing, with AI helping development teams handle more work without necessarily increasing team sizes. He also sees developers’ roles evolving, with greater focus on AI architecture, managing AI agents and adapting new ways of working.
Citing industry research, Jaan Pillesaar noted that the annual volume of software deployed worldwide is expected to triple by 2030. The number of software developers globally has doubled over the past five years, but he expects this growth to slow considerably as AI helps teams handle more development work.
Developers’ roles are changing too. Pillesaar expects growth in developer numbers to slow as the work shifts towards building AI architectures and directing AI agents.
“I think the key is that people need to gradually acquire new roles and new skills,” Pillesaar told Äripäev.
At Helmes, practically all development teams already use AI models, he said. While a few clients remain cautious about introducing AI into their development environments, clients generally expect teams to know how to use these tools. Pillesaar describes AI as another technology platform that developers need to master.
As AI becomes more capable, Pillesaar believes people must remain in control.
Drawing a parallel with aviation, he added: “Airplanes could already fly on their own 30 years ago, but there is still a crew in the cockpit.”
The discussion in Business Daily (Äripäev) followed recent redundancy announcements in Estonia’s technology sector. Other technology leaders interviewed by Äripäev echoed Pillesaar’s views on how AI is changing software development. They highlighted the continued importance of engineering judgement, security and responsibility, as well as understanding clients and their business needs. While AI is accelerating analysis, prototyping and coding, human expertise remains essential in deciding what to build and ensuring that software works reliably.
For Pillesaar, the outlook is clear: the need for software will continue to grow, but the way it is developed will change. Developers need to keep learning, adapt to new roles and know how to work effectively with AI.