A few years has gone by since we were introduced to ChatGPT. Just like many others, I was blown away.
Many people panicked in fear that this would steal jobs from developers, and other professions. I was a bit back and forth on what I believed my self. I believe that many people already has lost their job, and probably more will too.
I don't think that the reason for people losing their job is directly because AI has replaced them, but that many leaders think they can save money this way. There are probably some professions that can be completely replaced by AI, but not developers (so far at least).
The downside of using AI
It's been pointed out by many people, that there are many downsides to using AI. In my opinion, AI has helped me become more efficient. Even though I try to use it as little as possible.
What I'm using AI most for is when I'm stuck at a problem, and just need a quick helping hand. This is exactly what I was using Stack Overflow for earlier. AI has made this much easier.
When I work at a large project, or trying to learn something new, I tend to use AI as little as possible. As a developer, it's really important that you know code base. This has to be in your head when you're implementing new functionality, change parts of the code base, etc. If you don't know the code base, it's hard to know if the code your AI suggest to you will do anything good for your project. Sure, the code can be good, but if you don't know your code base, how do you know if there is similar functionality you can reuse instead?
Should juniors use AI?
Being a fresh developer, it can be tempting to just keep prompting until you get the correct solution to your problem. But this is not a good way to become a better developer. If you're stuck on a problem, feel free to ask the AI, but be careful with the amount of code you copy and paste.
I think it can be very helpful for juniors to learn how to use AI the correct way. Like generating boilerplate code, checking if the syntax is correct, etc. But even though you generate boilerplate code, it might be smart to type it your self.
Summary
AI definitely has it's advantages, but I do think we should be careful not to use it too much when creating software. It might be a bit like pissing in your pants to keep yourself warm. Will too much AI come back and bite us in the ass?
What do you think?