Will AI Replace Software Engineers? Partially.

The more general the AI, the more low-level, less abstract jobs it will eliminate.

(Stay until the end of this article to discover humanity's secret weapon)

AI will assist software engineers in coding, debugging, and testing more efficiently – I mean, much faster. While this might encompass 80% of an intern's entire job, it accounts for only about 20% of a senior role. The remaining 80% usually involves:

1. Meeting with and listening to customers (end-users, managers, colleagues) to understand real-life problems, their intentions, and their budgets.
2. Brainstorming with these individuals in extensive meetings to discuss and develop solutions.
3. Implementing the solution, which is also a very involved process; selecting the appropriate tech stack that works with existing systems and the current talent pool, understanding how to best utilize that stack, and determining how to best deploy, monitor, and maintain the solution.
4. After delivery, maintaining close contact with the customer and receiving feedback.

Do you see where I'm going with this? It's missing genuine "human-to-human communication." Although the latest LLMs might seem to be catching up with communication and reasoning tasks, there remains a substantial gap in contextual and cultural understanding, which can be challenging to bridge even with real humans.

Keep in mind that even if 99% of all these complex tasks become automated, there won't be a one-size-fits-all solution. Every business, every group of people, and every planet have unique problems that will always require innovative solutions.

The remaining 1% will be the crucial "decision-making" aspect for us. This might be, and perhaps should be, the only thing we must cling to. I believe there's immense evolutionary value in preserving our illusion of free will. So let's continue to hold onto it.

When everything becomes automated, our only option will be to become truly human, whatever that entails.

In the meantime, it's worth honing soft skills while always keeping an eye on the latest technology out there and being ready to reinvent ourselves when the time comes. No comfort zones for us!

If all else fails and all hope for humanity seems lost, we can always create a new JavaScript framework to rewrite our existing projects and secure a few more months of enjoyable times.

Ali Kutluozen

"Not Generated by AI" - From now on, I will use this mark on all my work.

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