During the mid-20th Century, writers like Isaac Asimov spurred discussions about the future of automation. Over the past few decades, people have debated whether robots or other forms of automation technology would replace humans. There are legitimate concerns that some people in the technology field are creating systems that will put them out of work. Computer programmers are a prime example of this debate as they develop increasingly more effective artificial intelligence technology.
However, concerns about AI replacing human programmers seem to be vastly overblown. A more probable outcome is that evolutions in artificial intelligence will only increase the demand for programmers.
Programmers are unlikely to ever be replaced by AI
David Bolton published an article on Dice a couple of years ago. Bolton wrote that he had been in the computer programming profession for 35 years.
During his tenure as a programmer, he experienced many major trends firsthand. One of the most impactful was the emergence and rapid growth of artificial intelligence.
For many years, the growing emphasis on AI technology appeared to be purely beneficial for the job security of computer programmers. They figured that AI code obviously doesn’t write itself, so the growing need for AI only increase the need for programmers. Former Columbia University and technology founder Aleks Jakulin discussed the importance of AI in video game development back in 2002. He suggested that AI was driving the need for programmers by creating an essential solution for video game development. Without AI technology, modern video game simulations would not exist. There are nearly 2,500 video game companies in the United States, which means that AI has played a vital role in stimulating employment in this sector. A modern bespoke software development company couldn’t even exist without the need for AI.
Their sentiments have changed more in recent years, when artificial intelligence actually could start writing code. In 2018, a team of researchers from Rice University developed an AI application that helped programmers create code more efficiently. The new platform was called Bayou.
This new application does not write code entirely on its own. However, it does handle many of the steps that programmers would have to take on their own. Some of the steps that it takes includes:
- Evaluating the needs of a particular project
- Coming up with a coding framework based on the code from thousands of similar open-source projects
- Using search phrases to match coding specifications
- Providing the code that is most likely needed to launch the project
Anybody that has used artificial intelligence platforms like Bayou in the past understands that they are clearly imperfect. This code probably requires a tremendous amount of tweaking before it can be converted into a fully functional program. However, it will become better over time.
Web Hosting is One of the Most Underestimated Beneficiaries of AI Developments
The web hosting industry is evolving rapidly, largely due to developments in AI and big data. HostReview and other big data publications have touched on the impact AI has had on the web hosting field. These changes include:
- Enhanced security
- Breakthroughs in customer service
- Exponential productivity growth
- Fantastic improvements in performance
While AI is reducing demand for some professions, others stand to benefit from this cutting-edge technology. The need for free web hosting services will increase, as more companies are turning to AI-driven web services. However, the need for programmers is likely to grow at even more accelerated rate.
Bayou and Similar Applications Will Spur, rather than Limit the Demand for Programmers
The concerns that some programmers are raising about their looming obsolescence center around assumptions that these applications will eventually be able to write code well enough to replace their human counterparts. This is incredibly unlikely. A more probably outcome is that they will increase employment in the programming sector.
As Bolton points out, this technology is only going to make programmers more productive. It is important to consider the constraints that many programmers are already working on, as well as the underserved needs of their employers. It often takes companies years to develop applications that they would like to complete in a matter of weeks. They are bottlenecked by the efficiency of the programmers on their staff.
New tools that use artificial intelligence to streamline coding will help them complete projects more quickly. They will not respond by trimming the workforce to curtail labor costs of programmers. Instead, they are going to raise the bar and expect a greater number of applications or applications with a richer array of features.
The long-term result is that the ROI of programmers is going to increase. Companies will be getting much more bang for their buck, which will make them more likely to hire programmers.
In summary, artificial intelligence tools that streamline the programming process are only likely to increase the need for programmers. Fears that they will put coders out of work are vastly overblown.
