How to stay relevant in the age of AI based software engineers like Devin?
Devin, introduced by Cognition Labs, is a significant advancement in AI for software engineering.
Here’s a summary of Devin’s capabilities:
- Autonomous Software Development: Devin can handle end-to-end project management, from building and deploying applications to identifying and fixing bugs in extensive codebases.
- Advanced Problem-Solving: It uses machine learning to learn and improve, adapting to new challenges and solving complex engineering tasks.
- Benchmark Performance: On the SWE-bench coding benchmark, Devin resolved 13.86% of issues unassisted, a substantial improvement over previous models.
- Development Tools Integration: Devin comes with a suite of developer tools and can integrate into existing workflows.
- Continuous Learning and Adaptation: It can train and fine-tune AI models autonomously and adapt to new technologies rapidly.
When I first heard of Devin, I was simply amazed and intimidated by the level of advancements it has as an AI based tool.
This is what it might feel like in a few years 😄
Practically it won’t replace our jobs anytime soon but as progress is made in this direction it can significantly impact the number of jobs available for entry level positions in few years down the line. To keep things clear, industries are going to need software engineers for sure but the way we work and technologies on which we work can change in the next few years. AI assisted software engineering has become the new norm. We are gradually transitioning from StackOverflow to ChatGPT and Copilot for help most of the times. So tools like Devin are going to make generating code for menial tasks even more easier. We will need expertise in piecing the code together in complex projects and solve bugs which AI can’t readily solve by themselves.
I now realise what artists must have felt like when AI generated images and now videos are being introduced in the world.
To stay relevant as a human in the age of AI like Devin, consider the following:
-Build side-project/side hustles: With release of tools like Devin it’s going to become even more easier for people to build and deploy full stack apps. We can leverage this advantage early and build side projects which earn income. This will reduce the dependency on income via jobs. Here’s what Sam Altman said in a recent interview about creating companies:-
"Build the fastest-iterating company the world has ever seen. The cycle here is basically: talk to customer to understand pain point get that in front of user build product to address that see what they do repeat cycle. This cycle is how you iterate and improve. The law of compound growth being what it is: if you can get 2% better every iteration cycle, your iteration cycle is every four hours rather than every four weeks, and you compound that over the course of a few years, you’ll be in a very very different place. Make it one of your top goals to build the fastest iterating company the world has ever seen."-Source: Stanford Online
With advent of tools like Devin, we can iterate faster, get products in front of users, test them and make changes fast. So we can experiment a lot and see what works for us for generating revenue. There should be a paradigm shift from employee mindset to entrepeneurship mindset.
Nivida CEO Jensen Huang beleives that Al allows programming with natural language, making it accessible to everyone, not just traditional coders. This would mean that people with best ideas, smarter execution will lead the next generation of product based companies. As a developer we have an early mover advantage for building such products.
- Focus on Soft Skills: AI may excel in technical tasks, but human interaction, empathy, and communication are areas where we can shine.
- Creative Problem-Solving: We can engage in tasks that require creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, which are challenging for AI to replicate. Coming up with solutions to harder problems will give us the edge required to stay relevant in this field.
- Continuous Learning: We can stay updated with the latest technologies and trends in software engineering to complement AI tools. Learning how this tools work and understanding their intricacies will help us in better using them for our work.
- Collaborative Work: We can use AI as a tool to enhance our work, not replace it. We can collaborate with AI to achieve more ambitious goals and work on complicated projects.
- Ethical and Moral Decision-Making: We can engage in areas where ethical considerations are crucial, as AI lacks the ability to make moral judgments.
-Understand AI and Its Impact: Gain a basic understanding of AI technologies and how they can disrupt traditional software development processes. This knowledge will help you anticipate changes and adapt accordingly
-Replace Rote Work with Strategic Tasks: We can let AI handle repetitive tasks while we focus on strategic planning and innovation to add value to our organization.
-Stay Agile and Flexible: We must always be ready to pivot and embrace new roles as the industry evolves. Flexibility is key to staying relevant in a dynamic field like software engineering.
By focusing on these areas, we can leverage AI advancements to augment our capabilities and maintain a significant role in the future of software engineering. Remember, AI like Devin is designed to be a teammate, not a replacement.
And if I no longer stay relevant, then I had a good run in software engineering field and would probably start teaching Maths to students 😄
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Source: Conversation with Bing
