Adapting to a New Reality

Matt, a software engineer based in an unspecified location, spends his train commute thinking about his career. He is one of many engineers who are reassessing their skills as artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly handles coding tasks. 'I am trying not to leverage AI where I can,' Matt said, referring to his efforts to keep his programming skills sharp amidst the shift.

The advent of AI has significantly disrupted the software engineering profession. According to data from Layoff.fyi and the New York Fed, a large number of US tech workers have lost their jobs since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, while the unemployment rate for computer science graduates rose to an unspecified percentage in 2024. Moreover, US tech job postings on Indeed dropped by a significant margin from 2020 to 2025.

Engineers like George Dover of Portland, Oregon, are finding new paths. After being laid off, Dover turned to substitute teaching before taking on a software engineering role that focuses more on AI. He used AI-generated code as a learning tool, rigorously testing it for errors and vulnerabilities. 'The quality has to be rigorously tested,' Dover said, highlighting the importance of validating AI-written code.

In response to these changes, software engineers are organizing collectively. Kaitlin Cort, a veteran engineer with eight years of experience, quit her job and started a resource center for tech workers affected by industry disruption. 'I can see that the pace at which AI was getting better was faster than the pace at which I was getting better,' Cort said, emphasizing the anxiety among engineers as they adapt to their changing roles.

The story of Matt, George Dover, and Kaitlin Cort reflects the broader challenge faced by software engineers as they navigate the rapidly evolving landscape. Whether through personal projects or collective action, these professionals are adapting to a new reality where AI is transforming their roles in unexpected ways.

Experts agree that coding skills may be losing value. Bouke Klein Teeselink, an assistant professor at King’s College London, stated, 'AI is hugely augmenting what it means to be a software engineer.' The focus now lies in defining problems, designing systems, and effectively directing AI tools.

Source: The Guardian