Software engineers are being overwhelmed by AI and think you’re next.
AI’s ability to automate code makes developers less productive and overworked. One engineer said his job was harder than ever and lamented that “AI fatigue” was a reality.
The good news is that it won’t last forever. The bad news is that most of them will lose their jobs.
Software veteran Steve Yegge predicts that big tech companies will end up cutting 50% of their engineers because of AI. (He wasn’t exactly a drag: Yegge offered advice to software engineers on avoiding the “vampire influence” of AI.)
“Okay, but I don’t work in the tech industry, so why should I care?” you ask insensitively. (It’s so cold!)
Well, advances in AI are unstoppable, according to those in the midst of it.
Matt Schumer, CEO of an AI startup, warned that the disruption caused by AI will be “far greater” than the coronavirus. The post has racked up more than 69 million views on X and has garnered attention outside the traditional tech world. Schumer spoke to BI’s Brent D. Griffith about the post and the fact that (surprisingly) he used AI to write it.
It’s worth noting that Schumer’s company specializes in AI personal assistants. He certainly benefits from getting people involved in AI. But that doesn’t invalidate many of his points about the need for workers to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
There are also counterarguments to doomsday prophecies.
Perhaps engineering jobs are especially ripe for AI disruption?
After all, this job is highly digital and requires difficult skills, two factors that make it a strong candidate for AI automation.
Software engineers have also been somewhat insulated from the technology-based disruptions that the rest of us endured and adapted to in the pre-AI era. New tools are here. There’s a new app. Many of us at some point became paralyzed by the way technology disrupted our activities. You just find a way to adapt.
Software engineers, on the other hand, had an easy life. You don’t have to worry about tools when you build them. Software developers have long enjoyed healthy salaries, good work-life balance, and great job security.
Now, the tables have turned and suddenly, everyone’s problem?
I’m not saying that AI won’t impact other people. First, entry-level jobs appear to be in jeopardy across the board thanks to AI. Consultants also seem ripe for change. And the legal industry is certainly feeling the heat.
(You could also mention journalism, but we were on the extinction list long before AI. When I started college in 2007, my professors unanimously said this industry was dying. Almost 20 years later, we’re still here. If anything, AI seems to have created some well-paying jobs for writers.)
AI may eventually be a huge disruptor for all of us, but for now we’re all used to it.
Send an email to What do you think about AI doomsday prophecies? ddefrancesco@businessinsider.com.
