No, I don't think AI is taking my job
Yes, I’ve heard it all. “What about a few years from now,” or “Can’t they code now?” “You’re writing yourself out of a job!”
I’ve always tried to explain my thoughts knowing that people ask me this from a genuine, heartfelt place. I come across as too defensive though, and my stance always sounds like cope.
Here it is:
AI will not replace software engineers, but it will force them to change what they do on a daily basis.
Most people are not good at using AI.
Experienced engineers (as opposed to more junior engineers) are more likely to be good at using AI, and are still valuable. Their human input can mean the difference between moving the industry forward and spewing slop.1
The learning curve for junior engineers has changed, and they must now choose between delivering large volumes of code vs. understanding the intricacies and nuances of the codebase.
API design is the new indicator for software engineering skill. Do you make it easy to implement something new? Do you make it hard to make mistakes?
Producing some slop is OK, because that’s how you learn the limits of the current AI models.