How Software Engineers Actually Use AI

Will AI Fully Eat Programming Jobs One Day?

Almost every coder we surveyed had strong opinions on the matter. Here’s ChatGPT’s summary of the responses (with its boldface emphasis preserved):

“The coders have spoken—and they’re not packing up their keyboards just yet. While a small but vocal group insists AI will devour programming jobs in time, most dismiss full automation as a pipe dream. The doom prophets warn that corporate bosses will slash payrolls the moment AI looks capable, leaving human engineers debugging their own obsolescence. The skeptics scoff, arguing AI is more like a hyperefficient intern—useful, but clueless—that can’t handle context, edge cases, or real problem-solving. The realists see AI as a force multiplier, not a job killer—automating repetitive coding but leaving the creativity, architecture, and debugging to humans. “If AI does eat programming,” one put it, “I’ll just switch to debugging AI.”* The real verdict? AI isn’t coming for your job—but it is changing it. Adapt or get left behind.🚀”

*Nobody actually said this! ChatGPT—bless it—made several mistakes throughout this process. Not only did it fabricate quotes, it also misread results, generated incomprehensible graphs, and, at multiple points, stopped counting “freelancers” as a category entirely. Rude.**

**In its way, ChatGPT invited this feedback. When asked for final tips, it suggested “a touch of snark, because AI discourse is full of strong opinions.”