The writing's on the wall
If I had a nickel for every person who gave up on Large Language Models because they didn't find them helpful after ten minutes, I wouldn't be sending my kids to public school.
People learn about a tool for the first time, try it once or twice, don't like the results, assume it's useless, and convince themselves they're too smart to benefit from it.
I understand the average Joe is too busy to care, but professional software developers turning up their noses is baffling.
How do I put this delicately?
Technical people who don't embrace Artificial Intelligence won't make it. And I don't mean they'll "fall behind" or have a "hard time" or any of your favorite euphemisms. I mean it as it sounds: those believing they are above what's happening will end up working in some shoelace factory. At best!
The writing is on the wall.
Artificial Intelligence went from something cool to a revolution changing how we design, develop, and maintain software. It's a force multiplier like nothing we've seen. It's a massive advantage to those who know how to use it, and it'll be the end of the road for those who ignore it.
AI won't take your job. A person using AI will.
Once that reality sinks in, we gotta answer a much more interesting question: where should we focus to ensure we don't get steamrolled? There are three areas I'd recommend every developer look into:
- Learning how to use AI as a copilot
- Learning how to be a copilot for AI
- Learning how to build tooling around AI
So far, the first category has attracted the most attention from technical folks. We have tools, papers, videos, courses, and a lot of money focused on augmenting people. Using AI as your sidekick is table stakes. If you ain’t here yet, you're already playing catch-up.
The third category is newer but growing at lightning speed, with things like the Model Context Protocol (MCP) and the Agent2Agent Protocol (A2A). These promise to be the pillars of a future where autonomous agents are the protagonists, not people. It's uncharted territory. A few folks will build billion-dollar businesses on top of it.
The second category is different. How would anyone in their right mind let an imperfect tool take the driver's seat?
I've spent decades cementing a career based on my ability to build good, working software. The simple idea of copiloting is terrifying—and, sometimes, I like to think, irresponsible.
I've criticized many people who've shared software they didn't understand. I've even used my smug face while letting them know how irresponsible they've been and how I'll never let my kids do the same.
But it might be time to swallow my pride and really grapple with what's happening.
People are building software without understanding what's happening behind the scenes, just like I drive my car without knowing the first thing about combustion engines. I'm not a mechanic, and they aren't software developers, but we’re still getting where we need to go. And you know what? It doesn't matter.
This phenomenon is not new. In fact, it repeats itself right before the new replaces the status quo. Every major shift comes with holdouts, convinced their way is the one way. And every single time, people like me who dig our heels in become a footnote in history books.
I've always told myself I'm much more modern than my parents were. "Look—I embrace technology! I know about the latest and greatest!" Except that's bullshit. As soon as something threatens my comfort, I start screaming and pointing to my titles and résumé.
Copiloting AI will be a big part of the future. People will keep building software without formal training. Although imperfect today, their software will improve. We all know where this is going.
I recommend you learn how to help Artificial Intelligence build software. I recommend you become comfortable controlling and guiding, not only driving.
This is happening, and it's not asking for our permission.