My Thoughts on AI
What I will express are my current opinions at the time of writing, which will (very likely) change in the future as new evidence and experiences challenge the current conclusions. However, I share this as a reference, even for my future self.
As I write these words (which are my own and not generated by AI), many ideas are running through my head, the main one being the job insecurity that I know affects many (including myself). Despite so much sensationalism, I believe the fear is not that developers’ jobs will disappear, but rather that employers will incorrectly assume or decide that they will and will not want to hire more. The reasons this could happen are due to misinformation or pressure to increase profits and reduce costs, and to a lesser extent, to regulate the market and lower development costs, which were inflated after the pandemic.
This could lead, in some cases, to a wave of hobbyist developers (just as having a camera in your pocket doesn’t automatically make you a photographer). Some will achieve a good level of experience and leverage the knowledge available to them. These individuals, along with those with prior experience who adapt, will be the ones who remain in this industry and rise to the new challenges and problems that will arise.
For those of us in the industry, the knowledge we currently possess remains relevant, but it must be complemented by new work tools to be effective and generate value. There are many new things to learn, many areas yet to be discovered, and, realistically, the most difficult thing will often be knowing what to learn. And of course, while we figure that out, or during that adaptation process (which even employers and companies often don’t fully understand), the world keeps moving forward, and we return to uncertainty.
Regarding employers, I also believe there will be an adjustment period for them, since currently marketing, sensationalism, and yellow journalism mislead many into believing that AI can do everything on its own or that by generating results X times faster, that same speed applies to people, which is incorrect. As humans, we need time to process and understand what has been generated, and although in many cases a quick response can be given just to comply without understanding the why or the how, this is not sustainable. This speed comes at the expense of the ability to reason and delve deeper, and in the end, we also end up sacrificing quality for quantity.
In conclusion, I also believe that technology will become more accessible, potentially becoming local and portable. Since the technology already exists, the natural next step is to improve it and identify new ways to apply it. While I do believe the price of conventional software development will decrease, new technologies will require specialized knowledge, which will also increase in value.
That said, all that remains is to continue doing what has always been necessary: Keep learning, stay updated (without getting overwhelmed), and navigate these waters trusting that the storm will pass.
“Calm down, mathematically you’ll be fine.” - Freddy Vega