Source URL: https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/04/24/1725256/ai-tackles-aging-cobol-systems-as-legacy-code-expertise-dwindles?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
Source: Slashdot
Title: AI Tackles Aging COBOL Systems as Legacy Code Expertise Dwindles
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AI Summary and Description: Yes
Summary: The text highlights the transition of US government agencies and Fortune 500 companies from legacy COBOL systems to modern solutions using AI technologies. It emphasizes the urgent need for upgrades due to the retirement of COBOL programmers and the reliance on AI tools for code interpretation and modernization.
Detailed Description: The article discusses an ongoing trend among various organizations, particularly U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies, to leverage AI for the modernization of legacy systems built on COBOL, a long-standing programming language. This shift addresses several important points:
– **Legacy Systems Issue**: Many critical systems, especially in government services such as the Social Security Administration, rely heavily on COBOL. There is a significant risk associated with maintaining and upgrading these systems, particularly as experienced COBOL programmers are retiring.
– **Investment in AI Solutions**: A notable investment is the proposed three-year, $1 billion upgrade for the Social Security Administration’s COBOL codebase, underscoring the seriousness of the modernization effort.
– **AI Tools Utilization**: Organizations are increasingly using AI tools like ChatGPT and IBM’s watsonX to aid in the transition from COBOL. Specifically, these tools are employed for:
– Interpreting COBOL code,
– Creating comprehensive documentation for legacy systems,
– Translating legacy code to more modern programming languages.
– **Challenges and Opportunities**: As the proportion of legacy systems grows and the talent pool for maintaining them diminishes, there is both a challenge and an opportunity for cybersecurity, compliance, and IT professionals to innovate and implement security-focused modernization strategies.
The implications for security and compliance professionals include:
– A critical need to ensure that the modernization process maintains security standards and addresses compliance regulations as they update and transition systems.
– The opportunity to advocate for stronger governance over legacy systems that may be vulnerable to threats during the modernization process.
This trend represents both a challenge in managing legacy systems and a crucial opportunity to integrate modern security protocols through the use of AI technologies.