This BBC article dissects how tennis line judges are being replaced by electronic line calling at professional tournaments – this year, Wimbledon – and asks how future umpires, who started as line judges, would learn their craft: “Why would you go to call the lines at Finchley Tennis Club under-12s if you haven’t got that carrot of ‘maybe one day I can get to call lines at Wimbledon’?” Definitely worth a read.
Similar questions are asked as AI generates more and more code: how do entry-level engineers gain experience and become senior engineers, architects, or technical leaders. Missing, however, is the realization that every technical advancement ever has – ultimately – redefined industries, redefined existing and created new professions, and resulted in (usually) societal improvements. AI is just the latest advancement we are dealing with. Unfortunately, we don’t know the end-game, all we know is that livelihoods are threatened and people are (unsurprisingly) scared.
Am I concerned? Yes, my life-long profession is being upended, jobs are being redefined or replaced, and technologists are attempting to grow in a profession undergoing radical changes. Does it suck? Unquestionably. How will this resolve itself? No idea how or when but it will. Truthfully I believe software engineering will remain a profession; however, whether I recognize it or not is a different question.
Meandering Thoughts #50
