[dmz73]

What is currently advertised as AI (LLMs) cannot replace all software developers. It is a tool that can make software developers more productive so there will be less need for low level positions but there will still be a substantial need for senior developers. LLMs, if tuned for software development, present an opportunity for a company, that can plan beyond the next couple of quarters, to produce software of unprecedented quality and with as yet unseen features and usability. Of course, there will be companies which will use LLMs incorrectly and replace most developers (and other people) and create products that are even worse than what is currently available since they don't understand what LLMs are or how to utilise them correctly. Those companies will either realize and fix their mistakes or go bankrupt.

[elcritch]

> LLMs, if tuned for software development, present an opportunity … to produce software of unprecedented quality and with as yet unseen features and usability.

Given that I can barely get LLMs to produce an error free couple of functions I doubt that. Though I suspect it’ll boost the median quality of software.

IMHO software quality requires care and skill along with a management that values quality.

Take Meta, they had billions of dollars and spent it freely. Yet the Metaverse software is mediocre at best. They had John Carmack in their rosters and the Mets developers reportedly ignored him. Giving those developers the ability to make more code won’t make the results magically good.

[elcritch]

Otherwise you make good points. Companies like Intuit using AI as a justification to lay off lots of devs will face issues later when it comes about that it doesn’t scale.