Why Intelligent Automation Software Development is More Than Just Coding: A Rebuttal to AWS’s CEO Prediction

The recent remarks by AWS CEO Matt Garman, suggesting that AI might soon diminish the need for human developers, underscore a growing belief in the tech industry that AI will take over much of the traditional software development tasks. While this vision taps into the exciting possibilities of AI, it fails to account for the unique and nuanced nature of Intelligent Automation (IA) software development—a domain where human developers remain indispensable.

Intelligent Automation: Beyond Traditional Software Development

Unlike traditional software development, which primarily focuses on building applications, Intelligent Automation is about automating entire processes. This distinction is crucial. Traditional development often revolves around creating software applications with specific functionalities. IA, on the other hand, is about understanding complex business processes, identifying pain points, and then designing solutions that automate these processes end-to-end.

This process-centric approach means that IA developers must possess a deep understanding of the business operations they are automating. They need to know the applications involved, the data flows, and the business rules that govern these processes. It’s not just about coding; it’s about reimagining how work gets done and creating automation that can scale and add value across the organization.

The Value of Process Automation: The Finished Product

In IA, the automated process is the finished product, with raw code and applications serving merely as components. Automating a process increases its value at scale, leading to significant improvements in efficiency, cost reduction, and enhanced performance. Unlike traditional software, where the focus might be on the application's features or functionality, IA’s focus is on delivering measurable business outcomes. This approach requires developers to think strategically about how automation will impact the organization as a whole, making their role far more complex and valuable than just writing code.

Why Human Developers are Essential in IA

Despite the advances in AI, human developers remain critical to the success of Intelligent Automation. Here’s why:

1. Nuanced Process Understanding: Automating a process isn’t as simple as translating steps into code. It requires a deep understanding of the process itself—how it works, where the inefficiencies lie, and how it interacts with other processes and systems. Along with highly competent Business Analysts providing business requirements, Human developers bring the necessary expertise to identify the best opportunities for automation and ensure that the solution design and architectural considerations are robust and scalable for the process being automated.
2. Common Sense and Context: AI lacks the common sense and contextual awareness that human developers bring to the table. When automating processes, developers must make judgment calls that take into account the nuances of the process itself, the features and limitations of the systems associated with the process that will be automated against, and the particulars regarding the data used, the frequency of the process, etc. These are areas where AI, for all its strengths, still falls short for the foreseeable future.
3. Human-in-the-Loop: While process mining and AI can provide valuable insights, the output from these tools is rarely ready for deployment without human intervention. Developers need to interpret the data, refine the workflow (and model if utilizing machine learning in any aspect), and ensure that the automation aligns with the business goals. The concept of a "human-in-the-loop" remains critical in IA, where human oversight and input are necessary to guide and refine the automation process.

Conclusion: The Persistent Need for Human Developers in IA

The future of Intelligent Automation is not one where human developers are replaced by AI. Rather, it is a future where human developers work alongside AI, using it as a tool to enhance their capabilities. The complexity of IA, combined with the need for business alignment, application and system awareness, and a deep understanding of business processes themselves, ensures that the role of the human developer will remain critical for the foreseeable future.

Intelligent Automation is about more than just coding; it’s about transforming how work gets done across the organization. As such, the skills, insights, critical thinking and judgment that human developers bring to the table in an IA context are irreplaceable, at least for the time being. While AI will undoubtedly change the landscape of software development, it will do so by augmenting human capabilities, not by eliminating the need for human oversight. The future of IA will be shaped by a partnership between humans and machines, with human developers at the helm, ensuring that automation delivers the value intended for the process, and the enterprise as a whole as it continues to travel along its digital transformation journey.