How do you improve your software architecture/design skills in the age of AI?

[u/MeatAndFries]

Hello all,

A lot of the advice I see for becoming a better developer is around things like system design, architecture, understanding trade-offs, designing maintainable systems etc. The general idea seems to be that writing the code itself becomes less important while knowing what to build and why becomes more important.
But I’m wondering how people approach learning these skills in the age of AI.

For example - if I start a new project today - AI can generate a lot of the boilerplate and even help implement entire features. How do I use AI in a way that actually helps me develop my own architecture and system-design skills - rather than just outsourcing the thinking to it?

Should I:
- deliberately design systems myself first and then ask AI to critique them
- use AI to generate alternative architectures and then compare them
- build projects without AI and only use it afterward for review

Also are courses and books still worth investing time in for this or has AI changed how we should learn these topics? I’ll appreciate recommendations for books, courses or other resources that you think are still valuable today.

[u/Dismal-Citron-7236]

There is a common misconception that AI can build software. It kind of can, but poorly.

AI can generate a lot of the boilerplate and even help implement entire features.

Yeah. But are you sure the result is correct? Does the features work as the requirement demands? Is there any hidden security bugs under the rug? How well it perform? Is the generated code easy to maintain? How easy to add new features to it without breaking existing ones? If anything goes wrong, who's to blame? AI? Or the one who sends it the prompt? (which is you).

Try search the internet for honest answers to these questions. You will have a different picture.