Between Farewell and New Beginnings: From Programmer to Trainer
- Jakob
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
The world of work stands at a turning point. For decades, programmers were the central figures translating digital processes into code. Today, artificial intelligence is reshaping this picture: technical excellence alone is no longer enough. What’s needed are new capabilities—and with them, people who can transfer knowledge, design processes, and integrate virtual colleagues into teams.
Old tasks are changing, new responsibilities are emerging. And this is where the transition begins—towards a hybrid organization in which humans and AI create impact together.
From Coding to Training
In the past, the job was to translate every single step into code. Systems were programmed line by line, with rigid determinism and detailed logic.
With the proper use of artificial intelligence, the focus shifts: the manual implementation of business logic moves into the background. While technical excellence still provides the platform, training, coaching, and leadership skills move to the center. The role evolves into that of an enabler of hybrid organizations.
Democratization through AI
For a long time, process design was reserved exclusively for IT. AI is breaking down this exclusivity and making participation more widely accessible.
Today, business units can directly shape tasks and workflows, bringing their expertise into play. AI thus creates a democratizing effect, enabling not only IT specialists but also non-programmers to take ownership of processes and outcomes.
At the same time, one thing remains clear: without the expertise of developers, none of this works. They are the ones who build secure infrastructures, design interfaces, and make the integration of virtual colleagues into everyday operations possible in the first place. Whether DevOps, cloud, or API architectures—these developments form the foundation on which AI unfolds its impact.
The New Role of Humans
This shift in skills is creating new responsibilities that are relevant across entire organizations. The key question is not: “Which roles will disappear?” but rather: “Which new tasks are emerging—and who will take them on?”
The answer will not lie in IT alone. Business units, HR, and leadership will increasingly take responsibility, as they bring the necessary expertise, process knowledge, and proximity to day-to-day operations. This transformation is not about the death of roles, but about expanding and redistributing tasks.
In the future, these capabilities will shape everyday work:
Contextualization and structuring skills: clearly defining goals, processes, and frameworks.
Didactic skills: preparing knowledge in ways that AI can learn from.
Process and organizational understanding: designing entire workflows, not just functions.
Leadership and communication: leading human and virtual colleagues, providing feedback, ensuring quality.
Interdisciplinarity: combining technical, subject-matter, and organizational expertise.
As a recent article in HR Executive highlights, the key is no longer rigid roles but skills as the “currency of performance.” HR becomes the architect that makes these capabilities visible, continuously develops them, and integrates them into hybrid teams. People, in turn, evolve into coaches, supervisors, bridge-builders, and organizational designers who successfully shape hybrid collaboration.
What This Means for Organizations
For leaders, this means above all: foster a culture of learning and teaching. Tomorrow’s competitive advantage won’t lie in digitally mapping processes, but in intentionally shaping workflows, leveraging expertise, and scaling knowledge so that it empowers virtual colleagues.
This requires preparing employees, building new skills, and actively integrating virtual team members into organizations. HR has a key role to play here: designing learning processes, making expertise usable, and enabling collaboration.
Farewell and New Beginnings
This transformation means saying farewell to familiar ways of working: less control over individual lines of code, less focus on technical detail in business logic. At the same time, it opens up new opportunities—greater impact through process design, greater responsibility in organizational development, and greater influence on the culture of human-AI collaboration.
It’s not about replacing old roles, but about rethinking them and expanding them with new responsibilities.
Conclusion
The shift from programmer to trainer is not simply a change in job profile—it represents a deeper transformation of the world of work. Hybrid organizations will not emerge through faster or better IT alone. They require a new mindset: virtual colleagues are not automation tools, but teammates who need training, leadership, and integration.
Success lies in the interplay: technical excellence creates the platform, while professional and didactic expertise unlocks the true potential of virtual colleagues. The true shapers are those who embrace these new tasks—and develop the skills to master them.
Sources:
HR Executive (2025): The augmented human: Why HR is the architect of an AI-powered future