Beyond traditional engineers using AI and non-technical "vibe coders," a third archetype is emerging: the "agentic engineer." This professional operates at a higher level of abstraction, managing AI agents to perform programming, rather than writing or even reading the code themselves, reinventing the engineering skill set.

Instead of searching for new "AI" job titles, non-coders should focus on applying AI capabilities to traditional roles like marketing or sales. Companies are prioritizing existing positions but now require AI fluency, such as building custom GPTs or using AI assistants, as a core competency.

Individuals will use AI to build bespoke software for personal use. A subset of these tools will find a niche market, creating entrepreneurs who operate outside the VC-funded, subscription-SaaS model, potentially favoring one-time purchase models due to low development costs.

Rather than just replacing jobs, AI is fostering the emergence of new, specialized roles. The "Content Automation Strategist," for example, is a position that merges creative oversight with the technical skill to use AI for scaling content production and personalization effectively.

With AI agents automating raw code generation, an engineer's role is evolving beyond pure implementation. To stay valuable, engineers must now cultivate a deep understanding of business context and product taste to know *what* to build and *why*, not just *how*.

The future consulting model may flip traditional roles. Instead of hiring firms for primary analysis, organizations could develop their own 'agentic AI' for strategy creation and use external human experts simply to validate the AI's output, relegating consultants to a secondary role.

Lovable employs a full-time "vibe coder," a non-engineer who is an expert at using AI tools to build functional product prototypes, templates, and internal applications. This new role collapses the idea-to-feedback loop, allowing teams to prototype and ship at unprecedented speeds without relying on engineering resources for initial builds.

Instead of focusing on foundational models, software engineers should target the creation of AI "agents." These are automated workflows designed to handle specific, repetitive business chores within departments like customer support, sales, or HR. This is where companies see immediate value and are willing to invest.

AI products require intensive, hands-on training to work, as they don't function 'out of the box'. Consequently, the strongest hiring trend is for 'forward-deployed engineers' who manage customer onboarding and training, shifting resources away from traditional sales roles to post-sales success.