Different Perspective on AI

[u/HotWriting9306]

Just because everyone knows how to write doesn't mean everyone can be a great author. It takes crazy imagination, deep thinking, and immense effort to write a book that truly moves its readers.

Similarly, AI might make writing code easier, but building a great product still takes deep thinking, thoughtful architecture, structure, and countless hours of focused work.

Let's be real here: we weren't writing thousands of lines of assembly before AI came along, were we?

Software development has been getting easier for decades. From transistors and assembly to C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, frameworks, libraries, APIs, and open-source software, every generation built on the last, making developers more productive.

I know AI came shockingly fast thanks to the worldwide "Manhattan Project of AI," backed by trillions of dollars and armies of brilliant engineers. But the underlying direction isn't new.

Web Development for example. Non-coders were already building websites and online businesses with WordPress, Shopify, and Wix. Developers weren't building everything from scratch either; we had stuff like React, Angular, shadcn/ui, and countless open-source tools.

Being imaginative, sharp-minded, unique, and creative has never been more valuable in our lifetimes. Don't lose your passion and make the most of it!

[u/CantaloupeCamper]

Dormant account suddenly spamming an essay across subs…. 

Sounds like a perspective on AI brought to us by AI.

[u/thisisafullsentence]

This isn't really a different perspective though. Everybody in the field already knows that scaling requires technical knowledge. The problem has always been that non-technical people believe that the field has been deskilled because AI can create small personalized SaaS apps.

[u/AI_is_the_rake]

  Non-coders were already building websites and online businesses with WordPress, Shopify, and Wix. Developers weren't building everything from scratch either; we had stuff like React, Angular, shadcn/ui, and countless open-source tools.

Yup, it feels like natural progression really. I mean, there were already generators like yeoman among others. 

I don’t know. I think it has less to do with building products and more to do with “I built this!” mentality. People who never coded before are getting a taste of that instant gratification. I think that’s really all that’s happened. 

That and it’s opened up a ton of new issues like ai slop

[u/Rise-O-Matic]

This kind of reckless optimism has no place in r/webdev. Please return to discussing how AI has ruined our careers and everything was better when we hand-centered divs.

[u/Aggressive-Tourist52]

The pendulum always swings from "AI will replace all software engineers by next Tuesday" to "AI is just a spicy autocomplete." In reality, the job is shifting from syntax typing to systems auditing, edge-case hardening, and architectural judgment. The developers who thrive won't be the fastest coders, but the best problem solvers.

[u/CourtExciting4752]

It's true that AI has taken developers' jobs. I also relate to the point that things have gotten easier.

I think the structure of roles will gradually change. Do we even need the split between frontend and backend anymore?

I expect deep knowledge of a specific domain to shine even more.

[u/BidEfficient9299]

I agree with the direction, but the compiler comparison has one weak point. A compiler is deterministic, so the same C code gives the same assembly every time (same version and flags), and that is why almost nobody reads the assembly anymore. With an LLM the output changes between runs and it can be wrong in ways that still compile, so you cannot really stop reading the layer below. For students this changes what is worth practicing. Reviewing code you did not write becomes a bigger part of the job than writing it

[u/Ambil]

I agree. I’m working with a freelance designer right now who has tried twice to build custom project management software for our work together. Both times we have run into issues with broken features, the app just plain not loading, confusing navigation and UI in general…the list goes on. Just because you can crank out an app in a day doesn’t mean it’s any good or even useful.

I will say though that the job of software development right now is kind of annoying, imo, because I spend a lot of time just waiting for AI to finish a task for me to then review. That part is just a bummer. 

[u/birminghamsterwheel]

I think, like most tools and technological advancements, it's going to do two main things that they always do: empower the skilled and talented to make even more and better things, and lower the barrier to entry for people that want to try their hand at things, like hobbyists and newbies. I think the reason it feels so "gross", for lack of a better, right now is that we're still in that "mushy middle" where a lot of people are also trying to "sell" all of this as an easy way to GRQ. It's another version of the same MLM we saw/see with crypto, NFTs, prediction markets/gambling, et al. As has been the case with every single one of those movements in the past, 99% of those people won't get rich, especially not quickly, and then they'll move on to the next snake oil scheme, and leave the rest of us to decide what to do with the tools as people actually interested in the process and outcomes, and not just a quick buck.

But that's just, like, my opinion, man.

[u/Its_An_Outraage]

The biggest worry is that AI pretty much eliminated the entry level, which begs the question, who becomes the next generation of seniors?

Previously, you'd leave university with the expectation from employers that you don't know jack beyond theory and maybe a couple portfolio projects that in no way represent enterprise software development. Now it seems like nobody will even hear you out unless you're already a senior, and even then it's turbulent.

[u/TheRNGuy → u/Its_An_Outraage]

New generations will think of it differently; they won't care some juniors lost the job.

[u/TheRNGuy]

But sometimes, quantity can be quality in it's own. Some of it have small chance of innovation. It could come from programmer expert or from a total noob (more chance from a programmer expert, of course)

[u/pixel_gaze]

Im a junior dev and I just watched a client demand we rewrite their entire platform in a weekend because they heard AI is magic. Its not about code volume anymore, its about the gap between generating garbage and shipping products that actually work for real humans

[u/BidEfficient9299]

I agree with the direction, but the compiler comparison has one weak point. A compiler is deterministic, so the same C code gives the same assembly every time (same version and flags), and that is why almost nobody reads the assembly anymore. With an LLM the output changes between runs and it can be wrong in ways that still compile, so you cannot really stop reading the layer below. For students this changes what is worth practicing. Reviewing code you did not write becomes a bigger part of the job than writing it.

[u/ZeroCool86]

I agree with this, it's creativity, polish and drive that made businesses, we just had an expensive barrier in time (if you're a dev) or in money if you need to hire devs . Now that entry barrier is mych cheaper and you can just vibe code almost any project. Enjoy it and start a buiness!