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Don’t Fear AI Taking the Coding Jobs (Fixed Audio)

Summary

The episode addresses the anxiety many developers feel about AI’s rapid advancement and its potential to replace coding jobs. The host, Sean, acknowledges that AI is fundamentally changing the industry, from how we think about code to art and conversations, and that recent developments can feel unsettling as AI demonstrates impressive problem-solving capabilities.

Sean advises listeners to first trace their fear and understand what specifically feels threatening. He suggests considering the worst-case scenario based on those fears, which can be instructive. The core argument is that while AI can generate vast amounts of code, the mere existence of code (whether from AI or open-source repositories) has not eliminated the need for developers in the past.

The host encourages a shift in perspective: instead of resisting AI or focusing on its flaws, developers should explore how it can help them become better engineers. He predicts that the problems engineers solve may change, but the need for engineers is unlikely to disappear in the near future. The key is to focus on uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot replicate.

Sean’s simple advice is to focus on uniquely human skills: building relationships with other people, making trade-off decisions, and setting priorities about what to build and how to spend time. He frames the future optimistically: humans may spend less time writing code, but this will free them up to focus on higher-value activities. By embracing this shift, developers can find a pathway to combat the anxiety surrounding new AI tooling.

Recommendations

Communities

  • Developer Tea Discord — The host invites listeners to join the Developer Tea Discord community, which is free and focused on participation.

Tools

  • Square APIs and SDKs — Mentioned as the episode’s sponsor. Square offers free APIs and SDKs that developers can use to build custom solutions and integrations for the millions of sellers using Square’s platform.

Topic Timeline

  • 00:00:00 — Introduction to AI’s impact on the industry — Sean opens the episode by acknowledging that AI is rapidly changing the software industry and many other fields. He recognizes that recent developments, where AI can solve open-ended problems with incredible outcomes, can be unsettling and cause anxiety among developers. The host states his goal is to provide advice to help combat this anxiety.
  • 00:01:10 — Advice to trace and understand the fear — Sean offers his first piece of advice: to trace the fear and understand what specifically feels threatening. He asks listeners to consider if they fear that AI will replace their unique value. Understanding the worst possible outcome based on these fears can be instructive and lead to a new perspective.
  • 00:02:46 — Perspective on code generation and job security — After the sponsor message, Sean argues that the ability to generate vast amounts of code is not novel or inherently threatening. He points out that millions of lines of open-source code have existed without eliminating developers’ jobs. The host suggests we should understand how the AI revolution will change our jobs rather than push against it.
  • 00:03:41 — The enduring need for engineers and a shift in focus — Sean states that while the problems engineers solve may change, the need for engineers is unlikely to disappear soon. His advice is to focus on uniquely human skills: building relationships, making trade-off decisions, and setting priorities. He presents an optimistic view where spending less time writing code frees developers to do more valuable work.

Episode Info

  • Podcast: Developer Tea
  • Author: Jonathan Cutrell
  • Category: Technology Business Careers Society & Culture
  • Published: 2022-12-07T02:05:00Z
  • Duration: 00:05:24

References

Podcast Info

Transcript

[00:00:00] There is no doubt that AI is rapidly changing our industry.

[00:00:19] It’s changing the way we think about code.

[00:00:21] It’s changing the way we think about conversations, the way we think about art, the way we think

[00:00:28] about virtually everything.

[00:00:32] And it might be a little unsettling with recent developments.

[00:00:37] You can see that you can provide open-ended problems to AI generation and the outcomes

[00:00:46] are incredible.

[00:00:50] So I’m going to give you a little bit of advice today to combat some of the perhaps anxiety

[00:00:57] that you feel.

[00:01:00] My name is Sean.

[00:01:01] I think you’re listening to Developer Tea.

[00:01:03] My goal on the show is to help driven developers like you find clarity, perspective, and purpose

[00:01:08] in their careers.

[00:01:10] My advice is incredibly simple to you today, but first I want you to take a moment and

[00:01:16] try to trace the fear.

[00:01:20] Understand what exactly it is that you feel threatened by.

[00:01:25] Do you feel that you won’t be able to provide value because AI is going to replace your

[00:01:33] unique value?

[00:01:35] If so, it’s worth considering.

[00:01:38] What does that picture look like?

[00:01:40] This should lead us to a new perspective.

[00:01:44] If we work through the fear and we understand the picture of the fear, if we try to understand

[00:01:49] the worst possible outcome based on our fears, it can be instructive.

[00:01:56] I’m going to give you some thinking tools to combat this anxiety right after we talk

[00:02:01] about today’s sponsor.

[00:02:04] This episode is brought to you by Square.

[00:02:11] There are millions of sellers across the globe using Square to run every aspect of their

[00:02:15] business, and many of them are looking for custom solutions that are deeply connected

[00:02:20] and easy to use, but that they can’t build.

[00:02:24] You can.

[00:02:25] This is where you come in.

[00:02:26] You can grow your business by extending or integrating with Square using their free APIs

[00:02:30] and SDKs to build the tools for those millions of sellers.

[00:02:34] Head over to developertea.com slash Square to get started today.

[00:02:37] That’s developertea.com slash Square.

[00:02:40] Thanks again to Square for sponsoring today’s episode.

[00:02:46] Yes, it is possible to generate vast amounts of code.

[00:02:54] It’s been possible for a long time to find other samples of code.

[00:02:59] There’s large code bases that are totally out in the open, and so the existence of this

[00:03:06] code is not necessarily novel or threatening.

[00:03:11] We’ve all still had our jobs, even though there’s millions of lines of code out there

[00:03:16] ready to be used.

[00:03:19] And so it makes sense to understand the AI revolution, if you want to call it that, the

[00:03:26] way that it’s going to change our jobs, and it will.

[00:03:29] But instead of pushing against it or just simply finding the flaws in it, to find out

[00:03:36] how it can help you become an even better engineer yourself.

[00:03:41] The problems that engineers solve may change, but the need for engineers is unlikely to

[00:03:47] go away in the near future.

[00:03:50] Sure, we might be able to generate a lot of code, but that’s been true at lower levels

[00:03:56] in the past.

[00:03:58] My advice is simple.

[00:04:00] Focus on the things that are uniquely human.

[00:04:04] Focus on the fact that you are the one that can gain relationship with other people, that

[00:04:10] you are the one who can make trade-off decisions, and who can make prioritization decisions.

[00:04:18] How to spend your time, what features to build.

[00:04:21] In the future, humans may spend less of their actual time writing the code, but that frees

[00:04:27] us up to do so much more.

[00:04:29] If we focus on the latter half of that, then we’re going to be freed up to do so much more.

[00:04:35] Then we can understand a pathway to combating the anxiety that comes with the new wave of

[00:04:42] AI tooling that’s staring us in the face right now.

[00:04:45] Thanks so much for listening to today’s episode.

[00:04:48] Thank you again to Square for sponsoring today’s episode.

[00:04:50] If you don’t want to miss out on future episodes of this show, go and subscribe to whatever

[00:04:55] podcasting app you’re currently using.

[00:04:57] And I’d like to invite you to join our DeveloperT Discord community, head over to developerT.com

[00:05:02] slash Discord to join totally free today.

[00:05:05] That’s developerT.com slash Discord.

[00:05:08] That’s 100% free.

[00:05:10] We’re only looking for you to participate in that group, developerT.com slash Discord.

[00:05:15] Thanks so much for listening, and until next time, enjoy your tea.

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