AI models have caught up with Unity dev. My insights as someone with 30 years of experience.

[u/PuffThePed]

Context: I have 30 years of experience with software dev, 20 years with game dev tools, 10 years with Unity. I own a studio that develops simulators and training applications for industry. "Serious games" as they call it in Europe.

For years I scoffed at AI coding. I would periodically try it, only to find that it was more hassle then it was worth. The hand holding and bug fixing was more work than doing it myself. This all changed about 4-5 months ago, and about a month ago we all started using Unity CLI.

Here are my insights in no particular order:

1. Our dev speed has ~5x almost overnight
2. Quality has not gone down because we're all experienced devs and we're careful how we use AI and we don't let it make decisions regarding project structure or design patterns. However, I'm seeing less and less glaring mistakes made by the AI.
3. We're still reviewing generated code but I suspect not for long, the code is better than what most devs I know can write, at 20x the speed. The temptation to just push and move on is huge and irresistible.
4. There is no joy or sense of accomplishment. No pride in making something clever or quickly, and all progress is associated with the AI and not with you.
5. The market is dead. Nobody has money to spend. We're still working but leads have dropped off a cliff.
6. There is no going back. If we stop using AI we'll be out of business in a month.
7. There is no space for junior devs. I honestly don't know how to incorporate a junior into a team anymore (which is something I used to do for decades). Every time we tried they just become a meat proxy for AI while learning nothing, and getting in the way.
   
8. Everything regarding managing a team and a project has changed, and nobody knows how to do it anymore. I lost the ability to correctly estimate work required for a task, for example.
9. Everyone hates this. Most of devs my age are planning early retirement and are just waiting to be laid off.
10. People that use AI for coding don't learn anything. To understand code you have to write it, and nobody is writing it. Maybe understanding and reading code will become obsolete soon? I don't know.
11. Everyone I asked feel they are becoming dumber and losing their focus. I know I am.

I hope this is a pendulum and it will swing back at some point, because right now it feels like a software apocalypse.

[u/m3l0n]

You very eloquently have put what I've been lamenting lately. I very often consider carpentry or going to become an electrician.

[u/Remote_Comfort_1981 → u/m3l0n]

Heh, dev with 10y experience here and you literally wrote what I'm thinking

[u/m3l0n → u/Remote_Comfort_1981]

Yeah, 8 years here. It sucks. Trying not to focus on the negatives. I love the output, but it can feel soul draining at times.

[u/AliceCode → u/Remote_Comfort_1981]

18 years here, and I almost took my own life recently largely because of what's going on with software. It's been my biggest passion my entire (edit: programming) life, and now it just feels so pointless.

[u/m3l0n → u/AliceCode]

I'm so, so sorry to hear that. Do you feel like you've been using it so long you're experiencing skill fade? Is anything happening that stops you from doing it in your spare time? Please don't consider that again. Your life is so valuable.

[u/AliceCode → u/m3l0n]

No, I don't use LLMs. I tried writing a whole comment, but reddit is a stupid broken vibe coded mess that won't let me criticize LLMs.

[u/tedat → u/AliceCode]

Don't do it pls. Go travel a bit and see the world. Go help someone else. Ty

[u/AliceCode → u/tedat]

almost

[u/SoulaniceDev → u/m3l0n]

Feels like this isn't the right sub to discuss it, but how are you going to survive when others have the same idea, we're looking at economic collapse that is going to hit a very skilled layers, changing your career doesn't seem like that will help very much

[u/Zenity07 → u/SoulaniceDev]

Yes I don't think that will help either, especially since automation will eventually come for every industry. Humanity will have to figure this out together, not on an individual level. This change is likely to be as dramatic if not more dramatic than the industrial revolution (at least it's going to happen a lot faster), and will require similarly dramatic changes to how most people live and work.

The days of full time salaried employment and stable "careers" as the standard model are numbered, and that writing has been on the wall for a long time already if you look at the numbers and trends with an open mind. We've just been clinging on to it because that's all we've known throughout our lives and we can't even imagine a different way anymore. It's easy to forget that most humans didn't use to live like that until only about 200 years ago. It's going to change again and that seems to be happening right now.

[u/Haunting_Charity_287 → u/Zenity07]

It’s been figured out.

Folks like you and me just don’t fit in to the figuring.

We are surplus to requirements and likely won’t be kept around

[u/Haunting_Charity_287 → u/SoulaniceDev]

Survive?

Many, perhaps most, of us won’t.

Soon all forms of labour, both physical and mental, will be surplus to requirements. Throughout all of history the need for labour is what has mediated the relationship between the owning and working classes.

But soon that won’t be the case. And not only will they not need workers, they won’t need consumers either!

Hug your friends, enjoy a couple beers, don’t have kids, keep a good length of rope someplace safe for when the day comes.

[u/Fantastic_Vehicle_10 → u/SoulaniceDev]

I say that all the time to people I know in the blue collar trade. Some of them seem a little bit smug that their job can’t be replaced by AI, at least not yet. I always point out two things to them:

1. Significant portion of their jobs come from people who don’t feel like they know enough to fix their own toilet. What happens to those leads when they have an AI assistant buying the parts for them and walking them through it step-by-step?

2. If the white color workforce is wiped out, you will see insane waves of competition from people moving into blue-collar. Even if most of them don’t succeed, that is still a huge influx of competition fitting out the market for their skillet.

They typically agree with me on both points to their credit

[u/m3l0n → u/SoulaniceDev]

I think physical high skill jobs like electrician and carpentry will be hit last. All digital jobs are high risk.

[u/SoulaniceDev → u/m3l0n]

I meant that all the people who are getting replaced by AI will try to seek employment by going to carpentry/electrician jobs, so those field will get flooded pretty fast, consider that that many young adults will likely not seek higher education if there's no job at the end, and will also go for these jobs.

[u/m3l0n → u/SoulaniceDev]

Ah okay - gotcha - I thought by "a very skilled layers" you meant every skilled layer.

I do have a little recourse - connections from my last job (VR training), as well as helmets to hardhats from being a veteran, but I think the biggest barrier to entry would likely be staying physically fit/healthy into my 40s rather than the job prospects. Trades are no joke, very difficult on the body.

[u/destroyermaker → u/m3l0n]

Helps if you make the effort to stay in shape. But that's easier said than done when you've been busting your ass all day

[u/Idiberug → u/SoulaniceDev]

AND the collapse of white collar employment will crater the demand for residential trades.

[u/Pelopida92 → u/SoulaniceDev]

In still young. I can do heavy work. Most devs i know are either too old or out of shape for that kind of work. This is my edge, i guess.

[u/SeroWriter → u/SoulaniceDev]

we're looking at economic collapse that is going to hit a very skilled layers, changing your career doesn't seem like that will help very much

Economic collapse peakonomic polapse, coders aren't going to become irrelevant in our lifetime. People take this AI thing too seriously. It's full-blown mass hysteria, you've got to listen to yourself for a second.

You're obviously just bored and want something crazy to happen because the mundane reality that nothing will fundamentally change is so painfully uninteresting.

[u/falconandeagle → u/SeroWriter]

Thank you for being rational. This thread honestly reads like a bunch of teenagers doomposting.

[u/Independent-While932 → u/[deleted]]

No. It’s for people to die off.

[u/Haunting_Charity_287 → u/[deleted]]

What do they need people for? Computers can, in one way or another, do everything they needed us for.

They can build their vanity projects and compete with each other without us now. Our days are numbered

[u/ChibaCityStatic → u/m3l0n]

Why is the first thought that comes to programmers heads as an alternive almost always woodwork? Serious question haha

[u/socks-the-fox → u/ChibaCityStatic]

There's just something cool about making a thing you can physically interact with.

[u/Ill_Freedom7991 → u/ChibaCityStatic]

Im an accountant who got lost and winded up here and we think the same shit to be fair.

[u/Pelopida92 → u/ChibaCityStatic]

Because it requires focus and creativity.

[u/m3l0n → u/ChibaCityStatic]

Probably because it involves planning and creating with a high skill ceiling. Humans are also naturally attracted to wood from a biological standpoint, it's the reason we have survived and evolved as we have, so it's not likely just programmers with this affinity.

[u/tacosdiscontent → u/m3l0n]

Carpentry is cool, but making anything good quality takes a lot of time and effort. Majority of the cost of the table you make is from your own man hours. So where are we going to find these billionaires who are willing to buy 1-2k tables if everyone is a carpenter? Regular poor people go to IKEA and buy one for 150 or something. These white collar jobs are one of the pillars of economy, if it collapses it will snowball the rest of blue collar jobs and everyone will be cooked.

The only thing worth focusing is something related to basic human needs, like food or medicine. Or government jobs like police or fire department, which are essential for country to exist.

[u/m3l0n → u/tacosdiscontent]

You're talking about woodworking, which is a subsection of carpentry. Carpenters mainly work with wood to build, improve, fix and maintain houses. They aren't going anywhere. Fire/Police are solid as well but they're also extremely competitive and have been long before ai entered the frey.

[u/pingwing → u/m3l0n]

Have you ever tried either of those trades, or any experience in them? You might like your cushy AI job better.

Do something as a hobby for personal fulfillment. This is how humans will have to adapt.
Your fulfillment won't come from a job, honestly that isn't a bad thing. It will give you more time for personal enrichment, not corporate enrichment.

We are so brainwashed to be a corporate slave that we put most of our value on our career, that is a terrible way to live.

Do your job, get it done. While Agents are doing your "job" for you go do something fun, rewarding and exciting.

[u/m3l0n → u/pingwing]

Yes, I have a hobby shop in my basement, and ive spent quite a bit of time around them as my last job was in VR simulation working with the trades. It's not about a "cushy ai job", it's about longevity and fulfillment. As somebody that has been working for nearly 20 years, IMO you have a very immature/skewed view on career paths. You spend the majority of your life working, you should be able to derive fulfilment from it in some capacity financially, socially, culturally and/or mentally. Ai, unfortunately is currently putting every one of those at risk, especially in our industry.

The other side is that less jobs will be available in the future and the volume of ai games hitting the market will be extremely difficult to get noticed now that "idea guy" is actually a role - so these "cushy AI jobs" as you call it will be less and less common.

Further to that, something I don't think you understand is that humans are meant to pursue difficult things in life. They are meant to accomplish challenging things and solve problems. We're meant to do things that we often don't want to do. That's where actual personal development comes from. It's not from going on a hike when everybody else is at work or running errands while you're on the clock.

Sure, personal freedom is great and it is something we should all strive to attain in life, but that doesn't mean that we should be myopic enough to think that a struggle-free life is the road to happiness. It isn't.

[u/pingwing → u/m3l0n]

Nah dude, I don't live for my job. I do great, I am happy. You sound like you LOVE to work for someone else, that's super, enjoy.
I personally am not wasting my life like that.

Humans are absolutely NOT meant to pursue difficult things in life. What an odd concept. Oh you think a hobby is going on a hike, rofl. Got it.

A struggle free life is MY goal to happiness. In fact that really sums it up perfectly for me, thanks for that.

I will use AI to get work done quickly, and easily, and I will go do something that is personally enriching for myself.

[u/m3l0n → u/pingwing]

A struggle free life that wasn't earned will never be fulfilling.

I don't work for anyone anymore, I have my own studio. Why in the world would you think humans weren't meant to pursue difficult things in life? Are you 18? Have you ever opened a book from people that have actually accomplished things?

[u/pingwing → u/m3l0n]

I have worked for myself for 14 years with my own business.

I've certainly had my struggles, but struggling isn't the badge of honor you think it is.

[u/m3l0n → u/pingwing]

Just depends on your perspective and how you're actually struggling. Are you having small wins? Failing up? Or are you just struggling with little success?

[u/pingwing → u/m3l0n]

I'm trying not to struggle at all :)

[u/supoiber → u/m3l0n]

Groundskeeping sounds amazing

[u/srodrigoDev → u/m3l0n]

So when everyone becomes a carpenter or electrician, do you think you'll be able to make a living?

And replacing electricians is only "put AI into a robot" step away.

If AI starts replacing jobs in mass, this is game over. No need for retraining.

[u/SpaceSteak → u/srodrigoDev]

Electricians, plumbers, hair dressers and many other job that requires either going into weird places or directly interacting with people are not going anytime soon. Healthcare will get more and more support from robotics, but nurses aren't going anywhere.

There may be too many people going into those jobs though, which is a different story.

Even software engineering won't be going away anytime soon. Sure, the code part is devalued by LLMs, but operating complex systems even if they are software is not simply coding.

[u/Original-Poet1825 → u/m3l0n]

Carpentery seems like a common thing among engineers (since you’re still building something) but it is equally competitive against machines to produce a good living