Yet Another New Job Title

Another Three-Letter Acronym Is Born

I was browsing the AI world recently when I came across yet another new three-letter acronym:

FDE.

Forward Deployed Engineer.

My first reaction was:

“Here we go again.”

The AI industry regularly invents new job titles.

Prompt Engineer.

AI Evangelist.

AI Transformation Consultant.

And now, FDE.

Apparently, an FDE works closely with clients, learns how their business operates, identifies and organizes their challenges, and then designs and implements systems that use AI.

As I read the description, one thought came to mind:

Haven’t systems engineers been doing that for decades?

Ever since I was in my twenties, the process has looked like this:

Visit the client

↓

Learn how their business works

↓

Define the requirements

↓

Build the system

↓

Get yelled at because it does not work

↓

Fix it

The only difference is the buzzword at the end.

Sometimes it was “ERP.”

Then it was “cloud.”

Then “digital transformation.”

Now it is “AI.”

The FDE role itself has apparently existed for years, although I had never heard of it. It seems to be attracting attention now because of its association with AI.

Still, every time I read a description of the role, it looks less like a new profession and more like this:

“Give a new name to people who have been doing the work all along.”

Job Titles Disappear, but the Work Remains

A few years ago, Prompt Engineer was hailed as a dream job.

$200,000 a year.

The job of the future.

An essential role in the age of AI.

Where did it go?

The work performed by FDEs probably will not disappear in three years.

Only the name will.

Once the title fades away, what remains will be the same as always:

Someone who listens to the client,

turns vague requests into clear requirements,

builds something that works,

and takes responsibility for it.

The IT industry loves inventing new three-letter acronyms.

But the skills required in the field change surprisingly little.

It is the tools that change.

Three years from now, another title will probably be in fashion.

And I will probably be saying the same thing:

“Wasn’t that what systems engineers were doing all along?”