No technology has ever been so intriguing as AI. Never in history has there been so many viewpoints to an evolving technology as it turns out to be now. The world has faced tech enabled tectonic charges and most of us feel we know how to manage it. We have also been very firm that something very drastic will never happen; the world order since the industrial revolution has not changed much, inherently. The ethics of AI has long been debated and that it should be kept controlled has also been one strand of thinking globally.
While we think it has been growing the way IT / AI behemoths have wanted it to be with few successes and various failures. While a variety of the other debates can continue, most are worried about its impact on the job scenario, this debate has divergent views. It is also the duty of the tech leaders to make aware of the likely scenario in the days to come so that they are better prepared. The area that has not been touched much is the man-machine interface, as AI gets prepared to stand on its own feet. Undeniably, these are nascent days and knowing the right approach to deal with this evolving technology can really come handy.
Sam Altman the poster boy of the AI revolution speaking at the Snowflake Summit 2025 talked about the current capabilities of AI in the field of software engineering. The analogy is very revealing and given the LLM models, this applies the AI growth broadly in a similar manner. What he envisions is AI evolving from an ‘intern’ to a seasoned software engineer. In the process it would be revolutionising coding roles. The prediction is worth giving serious thought; failing to do that would put us in peril. He says a rapid evolution in this field will soon rival experienced professionals.
His comments underline the transformative impact of AI, especially on roles related to coding. He foresees a great role being played by the AI agents. AI agents would be tackling complex business problems and discovering new knowledge soon. The shift as per him is bound to happen. This shift will demand software engineers to focus on AI management. What does the AI intern transforming into a seasoned software engineer mean? A future where AI systems can work independently and also handle complex coding challenges. It can also design intricate software architecture and contribute to strategic development decisions with minimal human interface, if any. What will the software engineer do then? He has to focus on things like managing complex AI-driven projects, ensuring ethical development of AI and innovating on the current capabilities of AI.
AI IS A TIME TO LEARN, UNLEARN AND RELEARN EVERY FACET OF PROFESSIONAL EXISTENCE.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.