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[2510.19692] Toward Agentic Software Engineering Beyond Code: Framing Vision, Values, and Vocabulary
Summary
This article discusses the emerging field of agentic software engineering, emphasizing the need to expand its focus beyond code to encompass broader socio-technical activities and principles.
Why It Matters
As AI technologies evolve, understanding the socio-technical implications of agentic software engineering is crucial for researchers and practitioners. This paper lays foundational principles and values that can guide future developments, ensuring that the field progresses responsibly and effectively.
Key Takeaways
- Agentic AI represents a significant shift in software engineering practices.
- The scope of agentic software engineering should extend beyond coding to include socio-technical aspects.
- Establishing clear values and vocabulary is essential for guiding community efforts in this new domain.
- Collaboration among researchers is crucial for laying a strong foundation in agentic software engineering.
- The goal is to create a process-level paradigm shift rather than just enhancing coding efficiency.
Computer Science > Software Engineering arXiv:2510.19692 (cs) [Submitted on 22 Oct 2025 (v1), last revised 17 Feb 2026 (this version, v2)] Title:Toward Agentic Software Engineering Beyond Code: Framing Vision, Values, and Vocabulary Authors:Rashina Hoda View a PDF of the paper titled Toward Agentic Software Engineering Beyond Code: Framing Vision, Values, and Vocabulary, by Rashina Hoda View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Agentic AI is poised to usher in a seismic paradigm shift in Software Engineering (SE). As technologists rush head-along to make agentic AI a reality, SE researchers are driven to establish agentic SE as a research area. While early visions of agentic SE are primarily focused on code-related activities, early empirical evidence calls for a consideration of a wider range of socio-technical activities and concerns to make it work in practice. This paper contributes to the emerging visions by: (a) recommending an expansion of its scope beyond code, toward a 'whole of process' vision, grounding it in SE foundations and evolution and emerging agentic SE frameworks, (b) proposing a preliminary set of values and principles to guide community efforts, and (c) sharing guidance on designing and using well-defined vocabulary for agentic SE. It is hoped that these ideas will encourage collaborations and steer the SE community toward laying strong foundations of agentic SE so it is not limited to enabling coding acceleration but becomes the next process-level paradi...
