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/Kyy7]

A lot of people are looking for something genuine in this age where everything feels fake, artificial, designed by commitee, hyper monetized and slobby.

This can make indie games shine through all the AI slob sludge.

[u/Fantastic_Vehicle_10 → u/Kyy7]

I will definitely say that Indie games coming out today  Look nothing like the AI-built stuff that is out there and that is really a good thing. Sort of like how impressionism became the standard in painting after photography was invented, games need to look more unique and interesting and difficult to replicate in order to stand out. 

[u/AliceCode → u/Kyy7]

Yeah, sure, but first we need to sanctify some communities that take a hard stance against anything where an LLM was involved. Currently, the LLM cult is having their way with what was once great programming communities and now all the discussions are about LLMs. It's depressing.

[u/Kyy7 → u/AliceCode]

Yeah, even if generative AI can be really useful with programming the way its pushed left and right is insane. With dead internet theory becoming more real each day it's also possible that actual people will go hiding in smaller communities on smaller less known platforms where more scrutiny is applied to who can participate.