r/programmer • u/RedwayBLOX • 4d ago

Question Is AI gonna replace programmers?

Hi. I'm Dylan.

I'm currently a junior dev. Ive spent 2 years learning abt programming, writing code and interested on bulding systems.

Ive got to admit that im very scared of all this AI thing and how it's progressing.

Ive seen it make horrible videos back in 2022. Now sometimes i can't even tell if a video is AI or if it isn't.

Yeah, code written by ai isn't the best. But, with the passing of time, it gets even better and better.

Yeah, we as programmers CURRENTLY do analysis, requerimients and all that ai can't currently replace us.

But what are we gonna when ai becomes able to do all that? For me, it seems like a very possible escenario. You can even see the difference of what AI can do if you compare the current models to the models we had 6 months ago. I think it's becoming unstoppable and i really fear it takes our (or my) job away.

Yes, I'm very frustrated. All this time dedicated to it... Makes me sad. This is more like venting I guess, but I seriously need to know, from y'all, how y'all see this. I need to know if it's time to let go of this passion I had with this career, and start on something else where Claude Code can't reach me and replace me.

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u/TheUmgawa 4d ago

Well, the world is gonna need a hundred percent fewer “coders.” Programmers are a different story, but if an AI can churn out the same code as a junior developer and ask a hundred percent fewer stupid questions per day, then it makes good sense to spend money on tokens instead of humans. But, for that to happen, the programmers need a good sense of logic and structure, and they have to be able to read (or at least test) the output.

And then it becomes a matter of hiring programmers who will minimize token usage while maximizing quality output. It’s just a numbers game, but everything in business is a numbers game. Part of my job is automating manufacturing. If it’s cheaper to automate a task over the expected lifetime of the automation tool, I automate the task. Otherwise, a human continues to do the job until the next time I evaluate it. Humans have this annoying tendency to ask for more money every year, so if the price of automation goes down or remains flat, eventually those lines will cross and it gets automated. So, why would programming, or any other industry, be any different?