There was fear in the air that developers would get replaced by AI. I can recall this sentiment coming from a few of my coworkers after ChatGPT was released. They felt that the time was ticking before they would be replaced.
It might be possible that development may be replaced one day by a more powerful version of programming but the humans behind that development probably will not. Engineering is more than just typing on the keyboard. That is just one of their many functions. I think it is fair to say that (the good) engineers can be rest assured that they will always be in demand.
Abstraction
A large part of programming is taking something that is concrete and making it abstract, easier to work with and with that increase productivity. Take computer science 101. The very basics of computer science is a computer system built layer upon layer where each abstraction provides the layer above with a simplified interface to the internals of the layer below.
When we write and execute a javascript program, before anything happens the javascript that you wrong needs to be compiled into a language that your computer can understand.
This is a lot like how ChatGPT works. You provide it a prompt and it gives you the best response based on what it knows. Someone still needs to provide the prompt.
For now, AI is great at providing code snippets for simplified queries but if you ask it to do anything really complex or in-depth you start writing prompts that are just as specific as if you were writing the code itself. I can imagine there will be an era of natural language programming languages in the future from this.
What Makes a Good Engineer
It is not just coding ability that makes an engineer a good engineer. Certainly coding a is large part of it but consider the other qualities that you have that make you a good engineer…
Good engineers are not just coders they are problem solvers. They are creatives that are able to analyze and synthesize problems and craft solutions. They are able to communicate, create psychological safety on a team, and challenge other engineers to become better. They’re growth minded and have a passion for development and learning new things.
In fact I remember reading once that a big selling point for engineers reading a job posting was what they can learn. I can see this as being true.
If AI is to replace those types of qualities in person well we’d all better have a seat because this list of skills are just human skills. And if this was the case then I stand corrected, AI wins.
I’ve put a lot of energies into personal growth on the soft skills side of things (leadership, written and verbal communications, courageous acts, sales, marketing) because all of these domains make you a better engineer!
So if you are concerned that maybe your job will be replaced by AI anytime soon just rely on what got you into engineering in the first place: your curiosity, your industriousness, and your passion for learning and creating. Stay up to date on new technologies and be willing to venture into new areas of development. Be the best person that you can be and trust yourself that you’re valuable and worthy of success!
