In a recent talk, Chris Slee, a founder of Transform Labs in Columbus, Ohio, identified the tools developers will need to understand within the next 18 months. He posits that programming will move beyond the use of traditional copilots into using tools that reshape how developers interact with code. Slee described five key categories of tools with examples:

- Frameworks

- AI-friendly databases

- Code writing tools

- Pieces as a unique tool

- Future frameworks

Each of these is discussed in one of the following sections.