Will AI Take Developers’ Jobs?
It’s 2023, and despite the tech layoffs across the country, hundreds of thousands of developer jobs are still available. It was reported in 2022 more than 228,000 tech employees had been laid off ever since. It is expected for full-time developers worldwide to be around 4 million by 2025. These are jobs that are significantly in demand. These jobs pay a massive annual wage of about 108,000 for a software developer. But that’s just the base; it’s not only a high-paying job but a job with pay that increases with more experience. What is there not to enjoy about being a software developer? It comes with a good salary, many benefits, and not being on your feet. But this high-paying tech specialization is in jeopardy, not by humans but artificial intelligence.
Unlike humans, AI doesn’t fatigue, doesn’t go on many lunch breaks, and, more importantly, doesn’t cost much after initial training. AI will take over developers’ jobs soon, leaving the tech industry in total disorder.
While it is true that some operations currently carried out by software developers, web developers, computer programmers, and coders may be automated by AI, it is crucial to remember that this does not necessarily imply that these occupations will completely vanish. Instead, AI will likely supplement the work of developers and programmers by automating specific jobs, such as testing and debugging code, producing basic code templates, and even developing rudimentary user interfaces. This can provide developers more time to work on intricate and imaginative jobs like inventing new features and tackling more complex challenges.
Yet, certain programming positions could be more vulnerable to automation than others. Jobs that need repeated operations or the development of straightforward, standardized programs, for instance, may be more susceptible to automation. Jobs requiring more advanced problem-solving abilities and creativity, however, could be less likely to be mechanized. AI will only partially replace the need for human developers and programmers in the foreseeable future, even though it is critical for developers and programmers to stay updated with the most recent technologies and skills to remain competitive in the job market.
Are there safe jobs?
There are jobs that AI might take over, but there are also some that AI will not take over, not guaranteed, which are data analysis, data science, and machine learning specialties. While AI can assist in automating some elements of problem-solving, developers are still required to recognize and characterize problems, examine requirements, and provide solutions that satisfy customers’ expectations. Creativity is important. Engineers frequently have to find innovative solutions to challenging issues. While AI may contribute to idea generation and solution suggestions, it must improve a human developer’s creativity and intuition. Developers must successfully interact with other team members, stakeholders, and clients. Interpersonal abilities like empathy, attentive listening, and the capacity to communicate complex ideas in simple terms are necessary.
Creativity is another component of developer work that is unlikely to be replaced by AI shortly. Finding original answers to complicated challenges typically calls for creativity in the software development process. While AI can help with certain parts of software development, such as code generation and pattern recognition, it is unlikely to replace the creativity and inventiveness needed to create breakthrough software. Communication skills are another crucial component of developer professions that AI is unlikely to return. While AI will likely play an increasingly important role in software development, aspects of the job will require human skills and expertise. Adaptability is essential because software development constantly evolves, and developers must adapt to new technologies, tools, and methodologies. This requires a willingness to learn and a continuous improvement mindset that AI cannot replicate.
Should students be worried?
Students should be knowledgeable of the near future but worried to an extent. Oxford University surveyed 550 software developers on their biggest fears, and 29% of those people’s answers were their efforts were being replaced by AI. It’s no secret that AI is on the verge; the same study even mentioned how effortless it is for systems to detect bugs. AI will only progress. As of these past couple of years, It was reported in a Codeforce writing competition that AlphaCode reached the top 54% in the past ten matches, each hosting around 5 thousand competitors. This might not be looked at as staggering, but this shows the ability of volume and how AI can be effective once programmed to be.
Students should worry just about how they put in 4 years of full-time studying to the degree that isn’t going to promise a 6 figure job opportunity, let alone any job opportunity, not because of their ability. Still, developers will have nothing to turn to if and when a drastic number of jobs go to AI.
How are Universities taking this?
Universities are realizing the need to give students a complete education beyond fundamental programming abilities in light of the emergence of AI and other new technologies. Several institutions have revised their computer science (CS) degree requirements in response to the tech sector’s explosive expansion and the rising demand for experts in fields like software engineering and data science. The University of Washington in Seattle, regarded as having one of the best CS programs in the country, is one example of a university that has raised its prerequisites for CS majors. The University of Washington now requires students to take courses in topics like data structures and algorithms in addition to the standard math and science requirements.
Most colleges and institutions in the US are also raising the prerequisites for CS majors. For instance, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Carnegie Mellon University students must take advanced courses in topics like artificial intelligence and machine learning in addition to discrete mathematics, algorithms, and data structures. Similarly, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, also mandates that students study fundamental CS courses, including data structures, algorithms, computer systems, calculus, linear algebra, and probability.
Universities worldwide and those in the United States are raising the prerequisites for CS majors. For instance, Cambridge University in the UK demands that students. At the same time, the University of Melbourne in Australia expects students to complete courses in algorithms, data structures, and computer systems. They also want them to have good math abilities and to have studied techniques in logic and discrete mathematics. In general, institutions realize the value of giving students a solid background in computer science to prepare them for the quickly evolving tech industry, which is anticipated to see a scarcity of trained workers in the upcoming years owing to the growth of AI and other developing technologies.
With the large number of individuals already employed by these companies, colleges intentionally add these prerequisites to discourage students from majoring in computer science. In other words, because there are too many CS majors, those with 7+ years of experience will probably get priority when AI takes over, which makes it difficult for the other recent graduates. For this reason, people considering majoring in CS should find their own skill sets and try to be unique to stand out from the competition. This is the reality even nowadays. People in CS always have to keep themselves updated and learn as they go, even in the work field.
How should current software developers feel?
That depends on the developer. When software development jobs go away due to AI, those employees would have to go through a transition phase. Some solutions that developers will do will be transitioning to things like project management, data analysis, or digital marketing, more of non-developer jobs. But there is a limit to those other jobs, and when doing that, there will be a reaction to those changes due to the mass amounts of people. As that phase happens, that will make those fields/jobs a much more competitive space due to the development jobs not being out there. For example, if you take a position like a project manager, it’s not just CS majors going after that role; it’s also the Mechanical engineering graduates. A non-developer job posting isn’t just going to take software developers like it’s their only option. It doesn’t help when studies show how 75% of project management positions will be in China or India by 2027. But that’s just one market.
Even if there is a need for developers, it will be a small amount of them, and the role of one won’t be as valuable. Humans will be used as an overseer than developers. This will create division. With few developer jobs remaining, they often go to the older, more experienced developers. As of March, the average age of developers is 43 leaving the youth in a rough position to get those job opportunities. The number of internships will decrease, resulting in a hard path to a developer job.
Now that we know why AI will take over developer jobs, when?
We believe AI will take developers’ jobs in the future, but when? We think we can expect jobs to be taken by AI in 10–20 years. We’ve seen how AI is impacting job industries today with more minor instances like customer service jobs or warehouse moving. When the time comes, the job opportunities will be highly competitive.
If you look at how hard it is to get a Fang job interview, let alone job opportunities as of now, with AI’s taking over the jobs, it will leave a massive mark on the employment situation of developers. But this isn’t something the government can plan for; neither have they attempted to prepare for it. It concerns how little to no future bills have been proposed and how no attention has been given to this matter. Republican Representative Jay Obernolte (former video game developer) even stated that our lawmakers don’t know what AI’s are. If this is the case, the tech industry, specifically developers, will have difficulty navigating the rest of their careers.
Takeaway
The landscape for developers will drastically change. AI will soon take over these software development jobs. Yes, specific jobs are safe, and more are at risk, but students should be feeling worried. What comes with specific jobs being secure means more competitiveness. We even see how these Universities are upping their prerequisites for CS majors because of how many people are getting into this space. Due to Artificial Intelligence, we project in 10–20 years, jobs will start to get taken, and many developers will be let down.