Creating software requires a solid understanding of programming syntax and algorithms, as well as considerable talent and perseverance. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, software development is now open to people who do not possess such qualities and capabilities.
AI can perform various actions that were previously done by professional coders and engineers, including writing readable code, debugging, testing, and suggesting improvements to programs. In some cases, systems can also modify programs and finish entire applications. This poses a serious question to the entire IT industry: if AI can perform all coding operations, what can software developers do?
What Can Developers Do When AI Handles Coding?
Software coding is only a small part of the professional expertise of a developer. While they need to know programming syntax and be able to create working solutions, their main specialisation is usually the domain-specific knowledge or the technical side of the project.
Since AI does not fully comprehend all aspects of a given domain, the quality of its advice, solutions, and suggestions will never be on par with that of a human. The AI system can make mistakes and errors when applying universal solutions to specific issues.
That is why, at least for now, human oversight is still critically important.
As programmers shift work that can be transferred to AI, their focus moves toward explanation, control, and improvement.
This does not mean that they will find themselves with fewer responsibilities: the reverse is true. While developers will possess and implement fewer programming skills compared to today, their qualification in other areas, such as technical knowledge during the development process, will become much more relevant to their work. That is why programming expertise will never make a developer redundant; instead, their qualities as a professional programmer, engineer, or technician will be of higher importance.
Will AI Take Any Developers’ Jobs?
If AI is capable of doing everything programmers do and better and faster, will it not swallow the jobs of many people in the industry? That was exactly the fear caused by the introduction of computers.
The threat of programmers being replaced by code-writing AI tools is very real.
However, it does not take away the fact that those most likely to be affected by new technologies are novice coders. The reason is simply that entry-level jobs are the easiest to automate for businesses, as they have the least risk and are the most obvious.
Software development is not only about programming: there are also designers, directors, and engineers who oversee the entire work of developers, testers, and coders. Those jobs will continue to exist, as they are not easily automated.
As for technical occupations, the emergence of AI threatens to reduce the demand for mediocre developers. Meanwhile, the qualifications of applicants who already have at least some skills will become of greater importance.
As far as computer scientists are concerned, a person who studied to develop software but knows little coding because they can rely on AI will find themselves outperformed by colleagues who possess superior skills.
That is why, in the new reality, developers need to acquire knowledge with AI as an assistant. Programmers need to be literate in programming languages. Only basic knowledge allows a person to understand the code, recognise logical errors made by less qualified colleagues, and protect the company against the potential mistakes of an AI tool.
Conclusion
The introduction of AI into the software development industry does not devalue the role of a professional programmer and developer. This is because a professional programmer must be able to perform the full range of activities required in the IT industry.
In most cases of commercial applications, someone needs to know what should be created and how to organise the work for its implementation; it does not matter whether a person or an AI performs these activities. Therefore, despite the many subtleties of automation, at least one of the components of the new system, either a person or an artificial intelligence system, should be capable of comprehensive knowledge and literacy in the domain.
It remains to be seen who will have to suffer first as a result of the new realities. It also raises the question of how qualified the software developers of tomorrow will have to be in terms of programming knowledge and skills in order to remain relevant to the new realities.