Software engineering was supposed to be one of the first professions AI would disrupt — and yet here we are, with demand for engineers still climbing, job descriptions changing faster than ever, and hiring managers struggling to define what a “good developer” even looks like in 2026. AI hasn’t eliminated the role; it’s transformed it. The craft of writing code has shifted towards reviewing it, architecting systems, prompting agents and judging output. So what does that mean for how we hire software engineers? In this episode of Brainfood Live on Air — the first in a brand new series examining how AI is reshaping specific professions — Hung Lee and our panel of experts look at the world’s most scrutinised tech role and ask: how do you recruit for a job that’s mid-transformation?