AI is a Tool, and a problem

AI the Tool

I have been using AI for a little while now.  I have had it help me create an Architecture for a complicated app, as well as some of the details of that app.  I have used it to create APIs for other apps, and SL code to create tables.  It has been saving me a lot of time in development.  I have become more efficient and effective as a programmer.  I even played around creating a blog article.  It is a pretty obvious AI article (Cloud Computing).  I doubt I will be doing any more of those as that wasn't a great article.  I am leaving it up as an example, though.  

It has also helped me with one of my weakest parts of development, UI/UX.  I can make a front end, but it is usually not a very intuitive one.  Enter Bolt and Lovable.dev (affiliate link). They may not be the best or fanciest designers, but they make my apps look far better than I ever could.  They also allow me to include my own API calls, so they do more than just a basic website.  You can build a front end to a complicated backend, as long as you have some patience.  

Using these in combination with ChatGPT and Github Copilot, I feel there is nothing I can't get done on my own.  And that is where the problem starts.

AI the Problem (for devs)

Now, I don't need a UI/UX person.  I don't need a Junior or mid-level dev to do the mundane coding for me as I work out the harder parts.  AI can be my junior and mid-level devs, as well as my UI/UX designer.  So, that means fewer jobs for those people.  That means it will be harder for them to get to the level of senior dev, as it takes experience to get to that level.  How do they get the experience?

This becomes a bigger problem as time goes on and older senior devs retire, and there are fewer and fewer of them, and knowledge is lost.  I personally think of the tradesmen situation of the past.  It is harder to find a good carpenter, or even a decent carpenter.  Mechanics, plumbers, and just about every trade like them are harder to find due to many reasons.  That is a discussion for a different blogger altogether.

It worries me that when there are real problems with technology, there will not be enough people who know the inner workings to get things fixed.

My Plan to Help

This video just voiced what I had been thinking for a month or so before it came out.   It made me think there is a need for mentors.  A community of mentors.

There are other communities out there, but I haven't found one that I feel comfortable in, so I created one myself.

It is a free membership (discord channel) that you can join either as a mentor, mentee, or a member, depending on what you want to get out of it.  The goal is to build a community of devs that help each other by mentoring and or learning different techniques.  Problem solving, coding structures, frameworks, languages, and more.  If you are an expert in something, please come join and help others learn from you.  If you are new to development, please join.  There are ways we can help you gain experience, without costing you anything.

Here is my video introducing the community!

It is a completely voluntary community, and we would be happy to have you join.  Discord link here.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Happy Coding,