Software Engineer in the Age of AI

A decade ago, software engineering's greatest hallmark, beyond designing scalable and robust systems, was writing code that others could easily understand and maintain. This emphasis on code quality made sense: systems aren't built by individuals but by teams who build upon each other's work. It's essential for codebases to be readable, extendable, and maintainable. This is one of the most important responsibilities a software engineer carries.

A Shift in the Industry

Fast forward to the present, and the industry is shifting rapidly, especially in how we approach software development. With the rise of AI, workflows are being reshaped in ways we couldn't have imagined.

Before, gaining deep expertise in a particular library or framework took time. You had to read through documentation, experiment, and learn through trial and error. These days, you can ask AI about anything without diving deep into the documentation yourself. It gives you answers based on the resources you link it to. It can suggest approaches that you previously had to sift through StackOverflow or other websites to find.

How AI is Changing Development Workflows

There are workflows now where developers let AI write certain parts of the code: a function here, a component there, and increasingly, entire features. It's shaping how we do software development today. Even though AI isn't fully reliable yet when it comes to the code it produces, it's reaching a point where what it writes is viable enough to iterate on. AI is making prototyping faster than ever before.

The "Software Engineering is Dead" Narrative

Due to this impact, there's been a surge of posts on social media claiming "Software Engineering is dead" or that "Software Engineers will be replaced by AI." This makes many people concerned about job security, and rightfully so.

Despite these fears, it's become evident that AI will not, at least in the foreseeable future, replace human engineers. AI shapes how we do software engineering, but it doesn't replace us. Humans are still essential when it comes to designing solutions, stitching systems together, and taking creative approaches to solving problems.

Working at a Higher Level of Abstraction

What we're seeing is that AI is reshaping what we know about software engineering. I'd say it's the same for other industries too. Rather than replacing humans, AI is empowering us to be more productive and creative.

Humans are now working at a higher level of abstraction: we describe what we think the solution should be, and AI translates it into code. That code is then compiled or interpreted for the machine to understand. We've moved up a layer in the abstraction stack.

My Take on the Future

Some are scared about the possibility that AI might replace them in their jobs. It's a valid concern, especially when your livelihood depends on it. While I understand the worry, I'm actually excited about this future with AI.

The way I see it, AI empowers me to spend less time on tedious tasks and more time solving interesting problems. It enables me to do more and experiment freely.

AI is continuously being improved, and it will only become more capable as time goes by. That's why I'm leaning into it, adapting to this inevitable progress rather than resisting it. I'm excited to see how AI will further transform the industry I love, and the problems we'll be able to solve together.

As years go by, rather than letting myself be paralyzed by fear of uncertainty, I'll keep experimenting and integrating AI into my day-to-day workflow. I'm curious to see where this path leads, not just in my work, but in life.