> Some people say that the move from high level languages to AI-generated code is like the move from assembly to high level programming languages.
> I do not agree with this simile.
I spent a while believing that the transition to AI-based development was similar to the shift to lower → higher level programming languages. However, like the author I now believe that this is an apples to oranges comparison, albeit with a slightly different take.
Chiefly it's because working with an LLM is working with output that is stochastic by nature and involves a different kind of broader, systems kind of thinking. The LLM ultimately outputs a deterministic product: code. You can decide (as a junior or newcomer) if you want to understand the code, or not.
I don't think it will matter that much in the end -- in the general sense -- whether software developers take it upon themselves to understand code though. I think if you want to become a well-rounded craftsperson or a "true engineer", you are always doing yourself a service to understand inner workings and "how the sausage is made".
Plenty of roles today which are instrumental to software products do not rely on code understanding. Product managers, Product designers, Designers (in general).
Somebody who designs an object or appliance made by injection-moulding plastic doesn't need to understand how to create moulds or make a model using wood -- but it sure helps them, as a thinking person, understand their products and the world better.
> I do not agree with this simile.
I spent a while believing that the transition to AI-based development was similar to the shift to lower → higher level programming languages. However, like the author I now believe that this is an apples to oranges comparison, albeit with a slightly different take.
Chiefly it's because working with an LLM is working with output that is stochastic by nature and involves a different kind of broader, systems kind of thinking. The LLM ultimately outputs a deterministic product: code. You can decide (as a junior or newcomer) if you want to understand the code, or not.
I don't think it will matter that much in the end -- in the general sense -- whether software developers take it upon themselves to understand code though. I think if you want to become a well-rounded craftsperson or a "true engineer", you are always doing yourself a service to understand inner workings and "how the sausage is made".
Plenty of roles today which are instrumental to software products do not rely on code understanding. Product managers, Product designers, Designers (in general).
Somebody who designs an object or appliance made by injection-moulding plastic doesn't need to understand how to create moulds or make a model using wood -- but it sure helps them, as a thinking person, understand their products and the world better.