GitHub CEO Thomas Dohmke said that no matter how good AI is at answering queries and writing code, the need for developers is still there, in an interview with Computer Weekly. Human intelligence still dominates when it comes to solving complex problems, and humans can do it more productively with the help of AI.
The truth is somewhere among the speculation?
Despite all the speculation around claims that AI will replace the need for developers in a few years, Thomas Dohmke clearly categorizes that the chance of this happening is more than minimal. Artificial intelligence is a powerful weapon in the hands of developers, but without their management, it would not stand on its own.
The Benefits of Artificial Intelligence
In the interview, he says open source has brought developers closer together, describing his community as amazing. For Thomas, open source is better than any other model of collaboration because people talk to each other in code that transcends nationalities, education levels, and organizational structures. And the end result of all this is millions of developers around the world working together to make progress.
The GitHub CEO also points out that cultural differences and language barriers between people could be overcome with the help of Google Translate and AI technologies.
Next generation of developers and AI
Thomas Dohmke commented about AI that the next generation of developers will get used to it, defining it as a positive. He also points out that technologies like ChatGPT will enable a new way of learning so that junior developers can interact with AI and learn at their own pace. AI will allow developers to be much more productive.
Can artificial intelligence replace developers?
Thomas is adamant that artificial intelligence could not replace developers, giving the example of a self-driving car that still needs to know where to go, or where the writer still needs to write the story.
And that’s where the need for developers to write the story comes in, because the AI can’t do that. It would help, but it couldn’t do everything by itself.
Dohmke points to another example related to the time when the Internet was not yet so popular and people were creating their own software. Although it was possible then to buy a commercial software component and have someone send a diskette, it was the open source software that was missing.
