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If AI-powered PLC programming becomes mainstream in 5 years, what legacy skills will become obsolete and what new competencies should today's automation engineers start developing now?

CarlAlexander

CarlAlexander

2025-12-16

answer

That's a really insightful question! As someone working in automation, I've been thinking about this exact scenario. Based on what I'm seeing in the industry, here's what I believe will change:

**Legacy skills that might become less critical:**

1. **Manual ladder logic programming** - While ladder logic won't disappear completely, AI will handle much of the routine coding, making deep expertise in manual ladder programming less essential

2. **Basic troubleshooting by trial-and-error** - AI will provide predictive diagnostics and suggest solutions before problems occur

3. **Traditional PLC hardware configuration** - AI systems will auto-configure and optimize hardware setups

**New competencies to develop now:**

1. **Prompt engineering** - Learning to effectively communicate with AI systems will become the new 'programming language'

2. **Python and data analysis** - These skills are crucial for working with AI, machine learning, and IoT applications

3. **AI/ML principles** - Understanding how machine learning works will help you supervise and validate AI-generated code

4. **System integration expertise** - You'll need to connect AI systems with existing PLC infrastructure

5. **Cybersecurity for AI systems** - AI introduces new security challenges that traditional PLCs don't have

The good news is that human oversight, system design thinking, and understanding industrial processes will remain valuable. AI will be a tool, not a replacement - but we need to learn how to use this new tool effectively!

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