The Penny Drops on AI

As a software engineer, I have developed a certain set of skills for more than a decade. In my “Creating a3l: The Log” article series I explain using those skills to create this site to date. Using this knowledge of programming, I’ve spent hours typing a special language that both computers and I can understand. Computers then evaluate that language and turn it into a final desired experience.

Recently there has been an emergence of AI tools like Bolt.new. With a few simple prompts they can generate a visually appealing blog site in seconds, without any requirement to code. They still write code behind the scenes, but from a human perspective, you enter a prompt, and you get a final experience.

Reflecting on this, it took some time for it to fully sink in. If software can be created without coding what does it mean for my career, software, businesses, and society?

Initially, I tackled the career question. At first I thought “well, even if we could produce software without code, software engineers will still have some edge, some unique relevancy, that would set them apart from the crowd when it comes to creating software”. However, I became increasingly convinced of the opposite thesis. The skill of programming has been the largest moat between software engineers and other capable humans with an interest in software creation. If we can describe software using natural language—such as English—and have a machine build it, then it totally changes the game.

Have you had those times when you’ve been frustrated at how a software program you’re using works, or would prefer it had a more user friendly interface? Imagine if you could just ask it to be different, and, provided your request was reasonable, it would simply be so? Although this type of reality might be far-fetched, it is the natural extension of a trend that is already starting to emerge.

Delving deeply into this line of thought, I searched for a reason I might be wrong about the career implications, or at least a justification for not totally rethinking my career in light of AI advancements. Over the course of twenty-four hours, it became increasingly clear that the landscape was shifting—and that I, along with many others, will need to adapt.

It was an intriguingly sudden realisation. I’d been using GitHub Copilot—an AI coding assistant—since its release in 2021. I created a New Zealand tourism website for fun using articles generated by OpenAI’s GPT-3 shortly after its launch at the end of 2021. I regularly converse at length with ChatGPT 4 with voice chat. Far from oblivious to AI’s power, yet somehow I was caught unaware of its potential to altogether eliminate programming from the software development process.

Naysayers may deny this is even going to happen. I don’t rate their chances of being right. AI is advancing with breathtaking speed. The transition will take time, and programming languages will not lose their utility overnight, but overall the direction is clear. Given the trend, I don’t cherish the idea of being inefficient about it: I would rather embrace the paradigm shift head-on.

Looking to validate this thinking, I spent hours watching YouTube videos on the topic, discovering many insights that resonated with my own reflections. An overarching theme is that–relieved of the need to complete lower level tasks–professionals will focus on the higher level aspects of business: understanding customer and market needs and the distribution and marketing of products. Achieving more with less, organisations will be smaller and professionals will have more direct responsibility for overall business outcomes.

In the software case, even without coding, software creation won’t be free. We will still need to be versed in AI systems and how to use them effectively for software production. Relatively speaking however, software creation will become an insignificant barrier to creating software companies. Competition will be fierce, and the market will move quickly.

Overall, this sudden realization has opened up a new path filled with much to learn. There is an imperative to stay up to speed with the available AI tools as they arrive, and to begin to change the approach career-wise. The entire economy is shifting dramatically, and the call is to be part of that change.

This post marks the beginning of the Embracing AI series, where I will document my exploration of the AI economy, the evolving role of humans within it, and the AI tools driving this transformation. I will start by taking stock of the current AI landscape and then move forward on this journey. Join me as we explore what lies ahead.