Software modernization has become a critical activity in contemporary software engineering, driven by rapid technological change, increasing system complexity, and the growing pressure for organizations to remain competitive while preserving the business value embedded in long-lived legacy systems. Modernization focuses on transforming legacy software into maintainable, modular, and adaptable systems that leverage new technologies. Genetic Improvement (GI) has demonstrated strong potential to automatically repair, optimize, and evolve software systems using search-based and generative AI techniques. In this talk, I will argue that GI can play a transformative role in modernization by automatically exploring and synthesizing software variants, addressing key activities in software modernization, such as automated refactoring, system decomposition, and program translation. I will emphasize key open challenges where GI research can have an immediate impact. Ultimately, the talk will outline a research vision where GI becomes a practical modernization engine, synergizing with software engineering processes and emerging AI-based techniques.

Wesley K. G. Assunção is an Associate Professor with the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University, USA. Previously, Wesley was a University Assistant in the Institute of Software Systems Engineering at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria (2021-2023); a Postdoctoral Researcher at Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2019-2023); and an Associate Professor at Federal University of Technology - Paraná, Brazil (2013-2020). He obtained his MSc (2012) and PhD (2017) in Computer Science at Federal University of Paraná, also in Brazil. His main research interests are software modernization, variability management, software quality, model-driven engineering, collaboration in systems engineering, software testing, and application of AI/ML to support software development. Wesley has collaborated with industries, government agencies, practitioners, and researchers from several countries, such as Brazil, Austria, the USA, Spain, Canada, Germany, and France, to cite some. He is currently co-editor of the In Practice track at the Journal of Systems and Software and has also been serving as a reviewer for multiple conferences and journals, and as organizer of conferences, symposiums, workshops, competitions, and meetings. Further information: https://wesleyklewerton.github.io