Can AI help solve the COBOL code crisis?
The Verge Robert Hart
OpenAI says its latest models got much better at moving old code into modern languages. That could matter for the IRS, banks, and airlines stuck on COBOL-era systems.
Based on reporting by The Verge, Robert Hart — read the original for the full story.
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OpenAI is pitching AI as a way out of one of the oldest software messes still haunting big institutions: code written in languages like COBOL that powers everything from tax systems to banking and airline infrastructure. The company says its latest models made “substantial improvements” at migrating older software into modern code on October 19.
That sounds abstract until you think about what’s actually being propped up. These are systems organizations often don’t want to touch because the risk of breaking something is enormous. So the code stays. The problems stay. And the people who still understand the old stuff become rarer.
COBOL is the language OpenAI singled out, and it remains deeply embedded in critical systems around the world. The company’s pitch is straightforward: if AI can translate old code more reliably, then the long, painful job of maintaining and modernizing legacy systems gets a lot easier.
That’s the promise. The catch is obvious even without the fine print. Migrating mission-critical software is not a cute coding exercise, and the institutions relying on these systems have very little room for “oops.” Still, if AI can do even part of that work well, it could be one of the more practical uses anyone has found for these models.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is exactly where AI earns its keep: not writing flashy new apps, but cleaning up the digital plumbing nobody wants to admit is falling apart. The hype crowd loves talking about brilliance; the real win is making ancient systems less terrifying to touch. Also, COBOL surviving this long is the software equivalent of a fridge in the break room that nobody owns but everyone depends on.
Read more about this at: The Verge