The Next Generation of Developers
I’ve got a new concern about the impact of AI in 2026. As things change in the world of software development and the AI war machines are prepared there is a clear and present danger to our way of life and our future.
It might be a little more frightening than any AI killing machines that are living rent-free in your dreams right now.
It’s certainly happening, slowly, day by day. The truth is software developers are stopping thinking at all.
The Past
The world of software development used to mean problem solving.
This shouldn’t be a controversial statement, but I think it might set off a minor explosion in the comments section.
Yet you shouldn’t dismiss me out of hand. The job used to be taking a requirement, break it down, write logic (and even test it!) and go wild and make sure you understand what you’ve built. Crazy times. They’ve gone.
By which I mean we’ve entered a whole new world of software development.
That new world has given us a glimpse into the real future. A world where thinking itself is entirely optional. It’s just hit software development first.
The Productivity Illusion
AI tools are incredible. Software developers are making progress like never before.
We don’t need to worry about boilerplate code, or getting stuck on that small problem that’s affecting the CI. If you’re confused about how a piece of code works your favourite chatbot will help you out better than any colleague ever would have done (which says more about colleagues than AI, but we’ll leave that for another day).
It’s all happy news, except for one rather small shift. It’s almost imperceptible to those at the bleeding edge of technology. Developers are no longer solving problems, they’re simply delegating them.
That hasn’t always been the case, even when you’ve told me that junior developer to solve a rather trivial problem. This time you’re effectively outsourcing your brain to another entity.
We’ve crossed that line, and I fear there is no way back.
First Principles Now Come Last
There’s something deeply uncomfortable about watching someone avoid solving a problem they clearly understand and could solve with just a little cognitive effort. I think it’s most uncomfortable because it’s affecting me as much as anyone else around.
What’s happening is that I get a simple task. It might even be trivial, and take a few seconds to reason about. I reach for AI, because it saves thinking about it. It’s not faster, in fact I might need to give multiple prompts just to get the right answer. I don’t need the help, it’s just because I can.
Oh, in my defense the company is pushing AI so hard that I do really need to use it at every possible opportunity. Yet it’s eroding my ability to use first principles thinking, because it’s like going to the gym in that you either use your smarts, or lose them
“It Works”, “This Will Do” and Other Lies
AI will give you an answer. A good one. Often a great one. Yet it simplifies you and your thinking.
Because if you don’t understand it, you’re limited in what you can do with the code.
• You can’t debug it
• You can’t extend it
• You can’t trust it
Effectively you’re no longer an engineer, you’re simply a middleman between a prompt and a production system.
It’s a massive risk to your career. You might get the sugar rush, you might solve the problem quickly but you don’t consider the cost of doing so.
Now if you think Prompting is a skill you don’t really understand anything. Perhaps you should ask AI about that.
Conclusion
It’s going to all be over soon, won’t it?
About The Author
Professional Software Developer “The Secret Developer” can be found on Twitter @TheSDeveloper and regularly publishes articles through Medium.com
The Secret Developer is the only one you can trust.