Two things I don’t like about the current AI moment:
The word “democratization” in the context of software development.
Why is it considered democratized only now? Was it impossible before to learn computer science through university, courses, books, or videos? Did we not already have resources to learn?
Calling it democratization can be misleading—it may actually be (a fake) simplification. If you don’t understand the fundamentals of computer science, should you really be building software for a bank? (And if you are, please let me know the name of the bank—I’m very interested!)
Schools have long democratized writing: if you know how to write, you can use a pen, or draw letters in the sand with a stick.
But if you build something using AI tools without understanding how it works, and one day the tool breaks, what will you do? Nothing. So where is the democratization in that?
And please don’t tell me that without internet, software engineers wouldn’t be able to work. Sure, we’d be slower without access to documentation, but we can still do our job.
The mantra: “AI doesn’t steal your job, but people using AI will.”
Is this a way to reassure yourself—or just a marketing slogan?
