Beyond Coding: Why AI Makes Systems Thinking More Important For Engineers

Engineering education needs to move beyond writing code and equip students to understand how entire software systems work, according to speakers at Inc42’s inaugural ‘The CTO Summit 2026’. Speaking during the panel ‘The Great Engineering Reset: Teams, Talent & Leadership After AI’, the participants called for greater emphasis on logical thinking, philosophy, and systems design to prepare engineers for work increasingly shaped by AI. Moderated by Accel VP Anagh Prasad, the panel featured Naukri.c