I’ve yet to meet the first developer that is afraid they will lose their job because of AI 🤖
I don’t think this sentiment stems from ignorance (or wishful thinking) but rather from the inherent adaptability ingrained in the mindset of successful developers.
Evolution of (web) developers
Ever since Tim Berners-Lee created the first web server and graphical web browser in 1990 and we all started browsing with Mosaic and Netscape Navigator (yes I’m that old 👴🏼), developers have kept reshaping how websites get built.
And since then, the methods of website creation haven’t stayed still for even a year.
From HTML 1 to 5, CSS, PHP and JavaScript to the pile of frameworks available today, web developers have worked through a constant churn of new browsers, screen sizes, and devices, building for more and more use cases and audiences, and shaping the internet we live on now.
Beyond writing code
It might have begun with developers solely tasked with writing lines of code. Today they’re problem solvers, engineers and architects of digital solutions, digging into technical challenges and looking for better ways to tackle them.
How? By constantly adjusting, tinkering with new tech and (re)training.
AI might be one of the bigger steps along the way, but web development has always been about taking steps into the unknown. Software development means adaptability, evolution, and that back-and-forth between human intellect and technology.
Even with AI, even one as good as Devin, you still need human insight to understand the problem, test the solution, and check the outcome.
Anticipating changes
That is not to say nothing will change, or that the changes will be small. Some tasks or maybe even whole jobs might change. But that has been the same story ever since Mosaic.
Or as the old philosophers already said:
The Only Constant in Life Is Change.
For developers, adding AI to their toolkit is just another chapter in the same story. It’s like picking up a new skill set or a new programming language. You roll with the change and use AI to build and solve problems in new ways.
If there’s any group that has been training to be ready for AI, it’s software developers. 🚀
The rise of AI opens up a new era of possibilities. We’re ready for it and it’s a huge privilege to be a facilitator and to witness this transformation up close. 🙏