AI could help shrinking pool of coders keep outdated programs working

Mainframe computers running code dating back to the 1960s are still vital to some banks, airlines and government departments, but the skilled engineers familiar with their COBOL computer language are mostly dead or retired. Now researchers say AI may be able to fill this skills gap and help maintain or replace these antiquated yet essential systems.

COBOL dates back to 1959 and was designed specifically for large, centralised mainframe computers, which carry out bulk data processing for large organisations. When…