How I feel about AI, and the future of software engineering
We’ve seen technologies come and go throughout our careers. We saw the mobile revolution. We saw blockchain. Now it’s AI. So why does this one feel different to so many people?
Because for the first time, we’re seeing something close to unlimited, human-like intelligence available to the masses.
Why people feel the way they do
This intelligence is now helping people do their jobs. And many are realizing that it can do parts of their work without them, and sometimes do it better than they can. That has created a real existential crisis, especially among software engineers.
What happens to software engineering
I think the software engineering role as we know it is definitely going away. But it’s also adapting very quickly.
The most disruptive thing I see is people with no software background prompting their way to surprisingly impressive prototypes. That can backfire, though. If you don’t understand what you’ve built, how will you maintain it? So engineers are not out of the picture. But the job has definitely changed.
What to do now
Since the job is changing, we need to change too, including how we do our work. My advice:
Learn to build with AI.
Don’t neglect fundamentals. They’re still very relevant.
Stay open to change. It’s the only constant in software engineering, and that was true long before AI.
Closing thoughts
I don’t think this is the end of software engineering. It’s the end of software engineering as we’ve known it. The tools have changed before, and so have we. What lasts is the ability to think clearly, understand how systems work, and solve real problems for real people.
AI can write the code, but someone still has to decide what’s worth building, judge whether it’s right, and own it when it breaks. That someone can be us, if we’re willing to adapt.
So I’m choosing curiosity over fear. The craft is evolving, and I’d rather evolve with it.