It was a sudden realisation that with if current trends continue, software may soon be produced without code. The implication is that I cannot simply continue as a software developer aided by AI: the landscape is completely changing. Yet what is the actual lay of the land, and is such thinking tethered to reality? Turning to YouTube to begin taking stock, I trusted the algorithm and selected top search results:
The first video I watched was The Ultimate AI Roadmap for Developers in 2025 by Liam Ottley. Although the video was largely hype, it also sparked my excitement. Liam outlined the immense opportunity available for those who fully learn and utilize AI toolsets in a software development context, suggesting that extensive traditional software development experience may not be necessary. He introduces the term āAI developersā to describe those embracing this new wave of tooling and argued that in this fast-moving space, the so-called experts are simply those who stay current. In his view, this is a gold rush, and anyone can participate.
The video made a strong impression on me, especially since Liam lives just thirty minutes from me and, as a young Kiwi, he is remarkably successful.
The video also encouraged joining his developer community. Eager to dig deeper, I joined the community and watched one of the exclusive content videos, in which he explained a business plan for approaching Airbnb hosts with a chatbot implementation designed to reduce the time spent managing guests. This was a good example of applied AI and entrepreneurial thinking within the AI economy. It was truly interesting!
The next video I watched was Career Advice For A World After AI by Varun Mayya. This video was rich in substance. Like Liam, Varun presented a picture of a rapidly changing world and began by discouraging adherence to fixed career paths in this experimental landscape.
He set the stage by discussing AIās rising ability to reasonānot merely by providing prompt responses like ChatGPT, but by enabling language models to prompt themselves in cyclical ways to achieve complex tasks. These systems are known as AI āagents.ā
Varun correctly predicted that generative image AI would profoundly affect creative work, and he is now forecasting the end of traditional coding. He asserts that the actual typing of code will increasingly be done by AI, with software engineers evolving into managers who oversee AI agent developers. Software development will still occur, but at a much higher level.
Furthermore, he suggests that as software development becomes easier, developers will increasingly apply their skills to non-product functions within businesses, such as marketing and user acquisition. The point he makes is profoundāarguing that the true product of a software development shop is no longer the software itself. Instead, the new productāthe revenue generatorāis the ability to distribute that software effectively. The capability to create software is becoming significantly less important than the ability to bring it to market, and AI-empowered developers can apply their skills directly to that challenge.
This shift is why he pivoted to content generation on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, albeit in a nontraditional manner. He and his team used AI tools to develop a streamlined content delivery production system, enabling him to create high-quality content more easily. This includes AI-generated videos of himself on TikTok that are virtually indistinguishable from real recordings. He and his team leverage AI to build software systems that facilitate content creation, which in turn serve as a distribution mechanism for AI-created software products.
The video concludes by encouraging the audience to think independently, becoming like scientific experimenters in software business developmentāconstantly seeking ways to better align with customer needs and understand the market. This is certainly a brave new world.
One thing I must say is that my desire to start this blogāand even to convert it to audio and podcast formatsāfelt more urgent than ever after watching the video. I was re-inspired to focus on the distribution aspects.
Energized by the insights from these videos, I watched one final video to ground my perspective.
That video was Generative AI in a Nutshell - how to survive and thrive in the age of AI. It provided an excellent overview of AI today, covering terminology, technology, andāmost importantlyāstrategies for thinking about and working with AI. If you want a crash course in the developments of the past two to three years in the AI space, I strongly recommend this video.
Instead of portraying everything as frightening, the video encourages a positive mindset: AI will make us incredibly productive. We can move from idea to result more quickly, and rather than spending our lives on grunt work, we can focus on developing innovative ideas. In this sense, AI is liberatingābut we must acquire new skills to fully embrace that freedom, from mastering effective prompting to cultivating creative reasoning.
These three videos share a common theme: AI is elevating humanity to operate at a higher level, and our success will depend on our ability to adapt to that higher level. This involves learning new tools and skills, such as advanced prompting, as well as rethinking how we create and capture value in serving humanity.
A world with AI is both daunting and incredibly exciting, and these videos have deepened my appreciation for that reality.