Summary of my podcast appearance on "Ihminen vs. Algoritmi"
I recently had the pleasure of joining Perttu Pölönen on the Finnish podcast "Ihminen vs. Algoritmi," which is broadcast on Yle, Finland's national public broadcasting channel. We had a fun discussion about how AI is reshaping coding and software development, and I shared my perspective as a software engineer working in San Francisco. Since the podcast is in Finnish, I’ve put together this summary to share the key ideas with my English-speaking friends, especially those curious about the future of AI and its role in technology. For Finnish speakers, I highly recommend checking out the episode!
Are software engineers losing their jobs to AI?
Short Answer: No, but our work is changing.
In the podcast, we talked about whether AI tools like ChatGPT will replace software engineers. My opinion? No way. Software engineers love solving challenging problems - it's what gets us excited to come to work every day. While AI can help with routine tasks, we won't let it take away the joy and satisfaction that comes from tackling complex problems.
AI tools can help with writing code and doing repetitive tasks faster. This lets engineers focus on harder and more creative challenges. It’s like when calculators were invented—they didn’t replace mathematicians but made their work more interesting by taking care of the boring calculations.
One worry I mentioned is that using AI too much might make us lazy and less skilled at thinking critically about solutions. Problem-solving is still the heart of what we do, and it’s important to stay sharp.
Does using AI mean cheating?
Short Answer: Sometimes, but it’s not always a bad thing.
We also discussed how AI can make it easy to take shortcuts, like copying code without fully understanding it. I shared a story about using AI-generated code and realizing I didn’t know how it worked at all. This shows how important it is to double-check AI’s work.
We compared this to how we trust planes and cars without understanding every detail of how they work - we rely on aerospace and automotive engineers to ensure they're safe. Similarly with code, whether it's written by humans or AI, software engineers are still responsible for verifying that everything works correctly. The tools may change, but the responsibility remains with us.
Is coding less creative now?
Short Answer: Not really. It’s just creative in a different way.
We talked about whether engineers feel attached to the code they write. Most don’t mind letting AI handle the small stuff, like automating repetitive tasks, debugging simple issues, or even generating boilerplate code. Instead of focusing on writing every single line of code, the creativity now lies in putting all the pieces together to build something new.
We joked about how platforms like GitHub and Stack Overflow have always been lifesavers for engineers in terms of finding ready-to-copy-paste solutions (and funny enough, not always understanding them). AI is like the next step—it's another tool that helps with the boring parts. But the excitement of solving problems and making something amazing? That hasn't changed and never will.
Final Thoughts
This episode was a fun mix of technical talk and joking around. If you’re curious about how software development is evolving and what AI means for the future, you should definitely check out the full episode.