There are two widespread beliefs about AI that I’m certain are wrong:
1. AI is not killing the role of software developer. It’s definitely changing it. It may kill open source software, but I do not believe it’s killing the role of software developer.
2. AI is not making it really hard for new developers to get started. On the contrary.
Let me explain both of these points. Here is the video with the text version below.
AI and Software Development: The Photography Analogy
When I said AI was potentially killing open source software, many people interpreted this to mean AI was killing the role of software developers. But I believe AI is to software development what the cell phone was to photography.
The Evolution of Photography
When photography first started, equipment was expensive and had a huge learning curve. You had to set it up and be stationary in one room. Very few people had access to it—you had to pay someone to do it for you.
Then came personal cameras, then point-and-shoot cameras, then cell phones with cameras in everybody’s pocket. Did photographers worry during that time? I’m sure they did. I’m sure they thought their jobs would disappear because everyone could take pictures.
Cell phone cameras have absolutely changed the way we live. We take photos and videos and share them with everybody, changing how we tell our stories. But my cell phone camera has not made me a photographer.
You would not hire me to be your baby photographer. You would not hire me to do your wedding photos. I am not a photographer, but I use photos every day.
AI Will Do the Same for Software Development
I think AI will democratize software development in the same way. Everyone will be able to use software development tools to tell computers what to do in their everyday lives. But you’ll still need software developers.
Someone needs to maintain those data centers, send satellites into space, and handle your medical treatment software. You better hope there are software developers behind that. So no, AI is not going to kill software development.
AI Actually Makes It Easier for New Developers
I don’t think AI is making it harder for new developers—quite the contrary. AI is making it easier for people to learn how to code.
The Diamond Age Reference
The story I love is from Neal Stephenson’s “The Diamond Age,” where a little girl finds an illustrated primer that teaches her how to read. I think AI is a bit like that—it’s bringing tools to people who would never have had access to them.
Democratizing Access to Learning
AI is bringing the ability to learn anything, including software development, to:
- People in developing countries
- Kids in rural areas
- Those without access to libraries, dedicated teachers, or mentors
AI is becoming that universal teaching tool.
Learning Through AI Code
With AI, many more people will be able to learn how to code and write code. They might not be writing everything from scratch, but they’ll be creating things that direct computers to perform tasks.
Ashley Willis had a great post where she mentioned a mentor who said that reviewing AI code as a new coder is like joining a team and looking through a legacy codebase, trying to make sense of it.
Is Learning About Creating or Recreating?
This raises an important question: Is learning about creating things from scratch, or is it about recreating and copying things that already exist? I think it’s probably a bit of both.
Looking at careers like architecture or art—in any career, you start by trying to recreate and understand things other people have created before you go on to create something new.
New coders will tell AI to do something, then try to understand how it did it in order to change and improve it.
Historical Parallels
We can look at examples like putting a camera in every pocket and what that did to photography. We can look at the printing press and what it did to learning around the world. Yes, some careers change and evolve, but the fundamental skills remain valuable.
AI is not killing software development careers, and it’s not making it harder for new developers. It’s actually making it easier and bringing coding to many more people.