One signal

A new essay argues that AI tools are changing what software engineers do rather than making the profession disappear. The author says automation is taking over more of the typing, sketching and debugging, while engineers spend more time defining problems, setting intent and taking responsibility for what gets shipped.

Why it matters

That is a useful distinction for anyone learning to work with coding tools: producing code may become cheaper, but deciding what should be built and whether it deserves trust remains firmly attached to a person. The hard way has not vanished so much as lost its monopoly. Is software engineering’s future better understood as judgement with an AI assistant, or will the tools eventually absorb that too?

Discuss: Is software engineering’s future better understood as judgement with an AI assistant, or will AI eventually absorb that judgement too?

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