The Current State of AI and the Future of Developers

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Is AI just a fad or will it completely take our jobs? Well, I think we should quit with the scare tactics or dismissals, and look to a more balanced, realistic approach.
In this video, we'll take a look at our current state of AI, which I like to describe as the "proof of concept" phase where we have lots of great innovation but no trust.
Then we'll look further ahead into where we're going. And finally, we'll end with a discussion on what developers can and should be doing now to prepare.
* This video was sponsored by Brilliant.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:27 Where we're currently at
02:36 Where we're headed
03:30 Sponsor
04:38 AI adoption and impacts
07:21 The future outlook of devs
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[@TheHistoryCode125]

This video takes a balanced approach to AI, but it's mostly hype and speculation, not actionable advice for developers. Here's the real deal: AI can automate basic coding tasks; it's NOT replacing coders anytime soon. True value lies in devs who understand AI's strengths/weaknesses and can leverage it as a tool. The focus should be on: 1) Mastering core coding skills, so you're irreplaceable regardless of AI tech. 2) Learning how AI works (LLMs, etc.) to integrate it smartly into your work. 3) Developing problem-solving, communication, and adaptability - these "human" skills are what AI lacks and what employers will always need.

[@ildar5184]

> it's NOT replacing coders anytime soon Agree. Not in the nearest 5 years at least. Considering that the rate of progress in AI field is exponential and very very fast, probably no one nowadays can predict what will be after this time period, say 2030. Maybe by that time there'll be AI solutions that would generate whole projects end-to-end and be able to incrementally develop new features in them based on the customer requirements, who knows. Companies would definitely have incentives to replace progammers with AI as soon as it becomes possible, though, as programmers are very expensive labor.

[@user-yq8qw9yg6e]

@@ildar5184what companies should start to think is more in replace useless mid and high management. Tons of money thrown to the bin

[@danwroy]

You're practically repeating what he said while positioning it as some kind of action plan

[@Icedanon]

Coders will be lucky to make it into 2026. Those that are left will undoubtedly be gone by 2028. I didn't say this to argue. I just want someone reading this in the year 2028 to know that we aren't all goof balls that have no idea what's about to hit us.

[@powerHungryMOSFET]

😂😂the 3 skillsets you mentioned that exactly what AI does…, not sure why AI won’t take jobs. In fact people working in coding industry will be the very first category to be replaced by AI

[@jamessullenriot]

Biggest issue of the past year at my company (its a huge corp), a bunch of YOLO devs who start most sentences with "bro", just pulling random code assuming its always right, then days, weeks, or more, later, bugs arise that AI can't fix because you have to dig to find them. I would advise any new dev to really learn what you are doing. I've noticed that there is less appetite to hire (although this could be economic conditions as well). You have to do something to set yourself apart somehow. No, I'm not talking about being a leetcode champion, learn how software development actually works.Value communication just as much as your tech skills.

[@michaelnurse9089]

Should be an easy problem to solve since they telegraph themselves with their bro-iness.

[@lawrencemanning]

@@michaelnurse9089yup. The managers who hired them need to be fired. That would solve a large part of that problem.

[@ronjones1587]

Thank you man! What a great insight! Great content! Keep it up!

[@tanishksharma2899]

Agree with the entire video! A Software Developer is truly so much more than just coding. Just like with the boom of Big Data few years back, the database related roles pivoted into something like a Data Engineer, Data Warehouse Engineer, etc. it looks like a similar pattern with AI - we will be seeing this subtle change in Software Dev roles as well with AI. Instead of "replace", I would use "embrace" as a development aid to define AI.

[@rommellagera8543]

We need to accept AI will reduce the required number of developers to complete a system. Reduce not eliminate. This is the time to go hard in learning tools and languages used in enterprise. You must be able to decide which AI output from different LLM gives the best solution. Like today, many are willing to pay professional photographers even if everyone has a camera in their phone. My point is any specilized skill will have value. Soft skills will no longer be good to have but need to have. Your ability to communicate to stakeholders and end users with patience and emphaty will determine your future.

[@JohnSmith762A11B]

True, and this will wipe out most of us devs on the spectrum as no one will any longer tolerate our, er, quirks. I'm near retirement anyway, so you poor young whippersnappers trying to stay relevant in a world of super-intelligent machines can knock yourselves out. I'd suggest a better use of your time than learning coding or advanced tools is learning to politically organize so you can lobby for a transition to a post-labor, post-scarcity economy that isn't owned and run by and for a claque of ruthless oligarchs. Failing that, you'll end up having holes drilled into your heads in a doomed bid to compete with A(G/S)I.

[@mohamadybr]

By saying "Reduce not eliminate" this totally depends on which end you are on! You might be the one who gets to stay or the one to get "eliminated"! If you are the latter, then the worry that AI will replace your job holds true! But I totally agree with the rest of your comment! it's time to learn how to use these tools

[@michaelnurse9089]

If you speak to professional photographers you will see that it is a mug's game. Most people don't want to pay (or pay for everything they want) because they kind of feel they could just do it themselves with their iPhone.

[@rommellagera8543]

@@michaelnurse9089 for weddings and special events you will likely hire a professional

[@kingthame]

As someone that has studied in dept, bachelors specialization, I’d say the minute ai can reason, understand the world around it that’s when you should kind of contemplate how to move. Research currently on going in things like Sora and the most important research is JEPA by Meta. Those two projects have the potential to completely turn things upside down. For everyone. So as a developer myself, the future is for those that are experts in a domain or field. That’s why it’s important to understand your stuff

[@Lp-ze1tg]

It depends on employer who might want to venture into no workers work environment. I worked for a large cooperation over 10 years ago. One of the upper management actually told me that they can implement a type of automation to remove 40% of their workforce. But they decided not to do it at that time. In the future, if businesses begin to start a cut throat competition then massive employment cut is not entirely impossible.

[@realamritthapa3617]

The way I see it is tech that speeds up programming will continuing to grow but so will the problems that need solving or new inventions. So in order to solve the complex problems, we will need all the help we can get.

[@anipacify1163]

Travis and Mosh are the most reasonable Tech youtubers. This video is so reassuring 😊

[@jasonhildebrand1574]

Correct ! However, I do love me some "FireShip" and "Primeagen" as well, to round out the mix !! Also, don't forget about the Cherno !

[@rostislav_vat]

Thanks for your great arguments!

[@andreas_tech]

Development is just too interesting, I am excited.

[@Revolver55334]

One point I’d wish you would address is that while AI won’t replace all software engineers, it might replace 20-30% of them. My company is already experimenting with this by seeing how productive engineers are with AI tools so they can hire less engineers. If 30% less engineers are needed, that is catastrophic for the job market. Think it’s hard to get a job now? It can get much worse.

[@Smolandgor]

but if everyone is using ai tools no company will have competition advantage. It's like with IDEs. Ide like intellij idea really helps develop code and everyone uses them. But it does not reduce demand for devs.

[@yaolu485]

We need giys like you to stay encouraged on the long long journey of leaning coding/software engineering

[@RiiDIi]

The insights shared are valuable, yet they hover on the brink of an automation-driven shift where the demand for human labor dramatically decreases. Imagining an economy grappling with 20% unemployment is daunting, and my estimate of 80% could spell disaster. As the horizon of job automation looms-possibly within 1 to 5 years-it prompts a critical examination of which economies will adapt, prosper, or collapse without conventional employment structures. Despite the stigma around "socialism" for many, alternatives like Universal Basic Income (UBI) seem unavoidable if automation eradicates up to 80% of current jobs. The question isn't whether AI and robotics will displace a vast number of jobs-that seems inevitable given their self-sufficient operation and scalability. Unlike the Industrial Revolution, which augmented human labor with machine assistance, today's technological advances aim for autonomy, challenging us to envision new roles beyond the reach of AI and robotic capabilities.

[@jasonhildebrand1574]

9:00 and this is why at age 45, I am getting back into programming. I need to learn C++ well enough to make a custom game engine. Unreal would normally work, but it does not support (I don't think) what I am trying to pull off with my idea. And with AI assisting me along the way, together GPT and I can build something worthwhile as a team !

[@rdj2695]

Its weird you're basing your decision to learn one of the most difficult software development disciplines to build a game engine because you THINK unreal doesn't support a feature you want.... like you do realize these game engines are extensible right? And you could just write a module on top of them that do what you want?

[@vladimirkraus1438]

Sorry for being maybe too sincere, but this sounds like a total nonsense. Building game engine is extremely difficult task even if you are a expert level programmer. And it is close to impossible if you are a beginner. And AI will not help you with that very much. Such a code will be a big piece of mess with probably thousands of bugs and with poor performance, especially if your chose difficult language such as C++. So... good luck with that.

[@georgerobbins5560]

Great video. Thank you.

[@aloSolo]

They been saying this since the 70s we will always need developers so don’t stop learning. Keep going, better yet. Learn development even better. Good luck.

[@tempname8263]

Back then they didn't have any of this technology, not even close

[@lceb91]

Not to mention that programming productivity has been improving for decades as well. This has lead to more (not less) programming jobs.

[@Leonhart_93]

Yeah, in the next decade AI developers will become stupidly rich. Because only developers can improve AI.

[@jeffkennedy2269]

Good video. Just dont stop learning. I made that mistake over the past year and I regret it. Getting off my butt now.

[@neil9655]

I love to hear you talk, Travis, it's always so informative and you are so personable, putting on a cap makes you look young too. Keep up the good work.

[@rafaelg4566]

I like this video. I believe it. We as software engineers will evolve to something else that will require software engineers. We may not be coding but we will still be needed.

[@Corey_Monsewicz]

You should look into getting a De-esser. Sonible makes a nice one that utilizes AI lol

[@brainites]

9:13 "When you live in those big towers you often forget about all the world that's not as big as you are". I said somewhere that that man is divorced from reality.

[@ncpeaksean4278]

?

[@user-qr4jf4tv2x]

the thing here is it still reduced the number of employees needed by a company they hire prumpters instead

[@rockygroo8909]

If AI replace most of the jobs who will buy all the plastics from Walmart or who goes to Superbowl or NBA games every night? 😂

[@marcelotobias9938]

That's a good question, as good as simple, and the problem that goes with tech innovation before and now ....but now, that fear, is here more than ever before ....maybe that's why so many, say about, we are so much people in earth theorizing about this so called "problem" ... and not only theorizing!!! But implementing in all ways possible to reduce population 😮 ....a world for a very few is coming ..???

[@rockygroo8909]

@@marcelotobias9938”world for a very few coming” It’s already there, it’s 🇺🇸

[@naehalmulazim]

Yes, the elites don't want even half of us around.

[@Icedanon]

If you won't pay for it, it won't be produced. And sporting events will always be happy to take your money no matter how poor you are by using the magic of supply and demand.

[@nodell8729]

No one. Walmart and sports team will be hit as hard. But the big investors will be owning different stocks by that time. The rich don't pay, so it seems so far.

[@prasadnijsure2407]

I understand that the rising cost of inflation has resulted in an increasing number of job losses as companies are unable to pay wages due to significant interest. The competition between LLM providers using the best marketing strategies has started, and who knows what will come out of it? Since I work as a developer, I do more than just code. AI tools will only speed up my work, but none of the current options are flawless. Frameworks, libraries, and other tools have made my job easier with improved productivity. There's no doubt that implementing new AI tools will present more challenges and require a wider range of skills.

[@janicech19]

so inspiring, thank you travis

[@kitkatk5152]

awesome video thanks great advice

[@CrisDevDotDot]

0:13 DID YOU NOTICE, WHEN HE SAID "WHAT'S BAD" the guy was actually looking at you ? :)))

[@selvinortiz]

It is hard to keep up with how quickly things are moving in the space. OpenAI keeps filing for patents and everyone is trying to catch up and release their own mind blowing stuff.

[@dr.emmettbrown7183]

8:13 AI will be able to do all of this sooner rather than later.

[@user-cw3jg9jq6d]

Hi. What do I get for free at Imposter devs site please? Do you have a news letter or a forum I can participate in?

[@RainMan52]

Gemini is killing it in Wakanda

[@libra-exe]

wait what

[@nobody-er6ys]

I am currently 16 years old and i am thinking to major in ai and robotics but by the time i graduate i think all jobs will be automated by ai. What can I do?

[@aadityasah6164]

you will maintain the legacy, or develop it more.

[@vegitoblue6969]

ill suggest reaching class 12 maths its insane and is used in robotics

[@MainEditor0]

learn plumbing or nursing

[@user-fed-yum]

Somewhat amusingly, AI is neither artificial or intelligent. The reason those old folks, that you choose to make fun of to be cool with your younger audience, say that AI will never take their job, is because they are correct. They understand how complex software is. They understand there are more ways write 100 lines of code, than there are atoms in the universe. The amount of computer hardware, and the amount of electricity required, to replicate the number of neurons and interconnects in one flawed human brain, is mind boggling. Sure, AI is a useful tool and will put many people out of a job. But it won't be innovative any time soon. Never stop working hard and learning, and you'll always be able to get paid to cut code. 🤓

[@Icedanon]

At least you made an arguement. More than most that take your position do. However, I think the idea of how much more complex our brain is than ai and the ai won't be able to do what we can because of that, is wrong. Our brains evolved in a complex world and have so much more to do than an ai. Our brains have to navigate a living being with all its processes through time and space. An ai has the unique ability to be hyperspecialized and thus can crunch through data and produce a result without the need to know of the existance of time and space. Or without the need of 99% of the processes that our brain is actually doing. Coding is but a small part of what our brains can do. The ai can hyper focus on this area, becoming a much better coder than you, while not needing all your extra brain complexity for the task at hand. Yeah, your brain is impressive, but it has a lot of overhead that an ai can bypass. Negating the need for such complexity in taking your job.

[@tempname8263]

You don't need to replicate human brain, it's insanely inefficient. You only need to train AI to do it's job, it doesn't need to bother itself with trying to keep lungs and heart working by using neural pathways that should've been deprecated 500 million years ago. It doesn't need emotions, long-forgotten childhood memories, ability to pay taxes or knowledge on how to walk straight. It just needs to do it's job, which greatly reduces amount of neurons needed. Current AI models already have billions of parameters in them, and they already can both write code, reason on how it works, test it and improve it. And with latest AI chips, models possible for training have basically increased 30x in size. And sure, 100 lines of code have a lot of possible states. But AI isn't a bruteforcing tool. It's already been couple years, since AI became world champion at GO, which can't be bruteforced at all.

[@Leonhart_93]

@Icedanon On the other hand, understanding the real word might be our main source of intelligence and edge over AI. They have already fed them almost all the text data on the internet, and the result was GPT4 with some trillion parameters. They will need much more than just text.

[@Icedanon]

@Leonhart_93 I'm not on the cutting edge, but im pretty sure they have their ways of getting the data they need. I think more than an information problem, we are going to have a power problem in getting ai to the point where it can navigate the world like a human. These things already take a crazy amount of power. I can't imagine how much energy something like an autonomous agi robot would take.

[@Leonhart_93]

@@Icedanon It is absolutely an infromation problem too. If they have fed the AIs all the human generated data that is on the interenet, then where will they get more? That's why OpenAI made a contract to train on the data on Reddit, it's the most fundamental part. And it probably will barely improve it at this point.

[@kareemyoussef2304]

why is it that all developers are in denial, its always the "its not good code" argument. No, it is. I've had Claude write me full on complex applications in 10s of minutes. This is denial

[@btm1]

Sure, there will be jobs that won't dissapear and even new ones created, but by definition using automation means there will be less labour force required/less jobs vs new ones created in that specific sector. Don't get fooled by all the euphemisms used, the whole point of automation is to replace (fully or partially) human labour with robots/AI. Unless you are a top % elite SWE, in a few years you're probably next in line to be automated out of jobs, just like it is happening to graphical artists already.

[@BeepBoop2221]

No it's not happening to graphic artists. My company got rid off all of our photographers for an AI. It's now only a few months and they are begging them to come back.

[@btm1]

@@BeepBoop2221 oh yes, many graphical artists are in a lot of pain right now... you live in a bubble my dude, inform yourself

[@brainites]

@@BeepBoop2221Glad to hear reality struck for the company. Never underestimate human ingenuity.

[@btm1]

@@brainites I guess cherry picked examples helps keep being in denial

[@aidanthompson5053]

Your mistakes give you a story to tell

[@dfsadsaaad]

Travis, it is easy to dispense with "other" occupations that are mundane and that nobody wants to do (your judgment call). That is what the majority of the media is saying about Software Development. You say,"Being a Software Developer is way more than writing code...(like dealing with people-related issues)." You are making the AI industry's point. Why didn't you just say "We have a lot of work to do attending meetings and taking PTO". Really bad arguments. You could have made much more valid points but didn't. This is part of the problem for Devs. This is the problem when IT people think they are engineers.

[@tenminutetokyo2643]

Just invent more new industries so they can ship those offshore too.

[@Cawnnak]

Critical Thinking!!!

[@Nobody-eg4bi]

I noticed something interesting is that AI good with Python but AI models are trash with C++, looks like even AI models do not know & understand C++😆😂

[@paraglide01]

As long as people can recognize instagrammer influencers as an ai bot we are ok. Oh wait thats getting more and more difficult. LOL...

[@fernandohiar9985]

Its just dont use A.I

[@werren894]

why ppl always talk about this? did ppl understand wtf is programing? even if there is AI replacing software job, we still need coders. the definition of software engineer is basically you create an interface to turn hardware into programable device, or device you can set/input some instruction. if everything is supercomputer everything is programmable, dumb.

[@MyrLin8]

Jump in, both feet. Now. If you need to, 'do it again' aka: go back to school. C, C++, Python and electronics. asap. it's moving like a bolt of lighting.

[@ncpeaksean4278]

Whats your point? Sorry I didnt understand whats are You suggesting...

[@casperolsen8147]

I like the subtle jabs at Gemini

[@BeepBoop2221]

Devin feels like a scam to get venture capital money

[@vitalyl1327]

Have you seen devika?

[@rockygroo8909]

Yup when Curry, Draymond retires world is ending anyway

[@hitmusicworldwide]

Dramamond is way too often a distraction to the game more so than a contributing player. Hence the Warriors are stuck at the bottom battling for last place. The fact that so many diehard fans don't realize this is the reason why they are where they are and will remain as the world moves on. Positive consistency creates a winning feedback loop.

[@codeaperture]

Lol, AI will not replace Cyber Security. Especially for Analysts in Cybersec Your video is legit. Appreciate

[@mygbt]

We can finally send home visitors who hold H1-B visas.

[@AS-if5jg]

Why such hate against the immigrants

[@user-yq8qw9yg6e]

@@AS-if5jg because it was their main reason, to replace juniors, and now the work of a junior or a monkey coder can be done by chatGPT from a middle position for an extra in their salary

[@Chatgptpluginsreview]

Travis you’re done buddy. Get your KZbin ass in gear, saddle up Tube guy

[@user-yq8qw9yg6e]

cybersecurity??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA good luck with that

[@DheerajBadiger5]

Woww

[@rockygroo8909]

Just don’t have kids unless you have good finance and investments already. World population is exploding. No one is talking about that. We just look at 🇺🇸 and see empty streets and malls and get fooled. Most of the jobs will also be outsourced.

[@ncpeaksean4278]

???

[@rockygroo8909]

@@ncpeaksean4278 more kids without financial freedom is a sin to bring a child in this world. With less jobs, more competition for even less job it’s not a good life. Lifestyle will deteriorate a lot. At least kids in this current world and economics is not for faint hearted. Unless people are confident or want to gamble with kids future.

[@btm1]

@@rockygroo8909 true! the future is very uncertain, unfotunately these are the times we are living today

[@hitmusicworldwide]

As long as food production keeps pace with population which is shrinking, don't pay attention to the doomsayers. Back in the '30s and '40s 30% of Americans were on farms.The fact that today only 2% are on farms doesn't mean that civilization collapsed. Oh! how narrow-minded we are when we don't look at history and realize that change is always there and yet we survive, getting morbidly obese and thrive. For the most part, all people need are bread and circuses ( and maybe education?) . There is more than enough food on most Americans bellies to last them 6 months, hence the popularity of Ozempic. The circuses and " book learning" are digitally delivered, with an unlimited supply fed by digitally duplicated inventory. Now with AI, the entertainment is soon to be generated in infinite iterations. As if everything created over the past few thousands of years across cultures, planet wide is not enough for individual, overweight earthlings to consume? It's all about management. There is no shortage of anything in reality except for the realization that we need common sense and rational organisation.

[@btm1]

@@hitmusicworldwide actually the agriculture example proves our point about the upcoming automation in the programming sector, one man with a tractor can do the job of 50 with sickles

[@user-wr4yl7tx3w]

This video was not necessary. Not new said.

[@m4rc0k1tt3L]

I don't like your negativ thumbnails about a.i.. Progress in science is always a good thing!

[@contort69]

Whats up with your comment that Gemini does not show pictures of a White guy? If that were true which it is definitely not, what is the relevance of you mentioning this in your video??

[@TravisMedia]

“Google has apologized…” www.theverge.com/2024/2/21/24079371/google-ai-gemini-generative-inaccurate-historical