Sounds like you are already on the "right" path?
Step 1 is "surrendering" to AI-driven coding.
Beyond that, the new competitive edge for developers everywhere is mastering AI tooling for maximum productivity and velocity.
Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
11–20 of 32 posts
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#12Can a non-technical person get the same result as you? If no then you're still adding value there.
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#13> When AI writes better code than I do, how am I supposed to maintain my motivation and identity?
I'm just going to be honest, this is cope. Your self-doubt is correct here and you should listen to it.
This is like a weaver asking how to maintain their identity in light of machines doing what they could do faster and cheaper. The honest answer is to find something else because at best you're delaying the inevitable.
I've spoken in length in other comments about how AI has taken a lot from my own identity so I understand and genuinely sympathise with how you're feeling, but you need understand what's coming and start planning – especially if you have dependants.
The only good news here is that we'll probably only have to worry about getting by for a decade max.
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#14> The real problem is that AI is now too good.
We must live in two different worlds, it must be like that
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#15> When AI writes better code than I do
Have you ever asked yourself maybe you’re not that good and you can still learn and improve and be relevant?
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#16Why is your identity tied to writing code ? That reads a bit weird to me at least. You're being paid to solve business problems, not to write code. Now you can do it without writing code. Maybe try to form a different identity ? I wouldn't ever define my identity (not before AI) as someone who writes code.
> Now you can do it without writing code.
That’s just a gigantic bs you wouldn’t be able to stir an ai without code writing knowledge this approach in the long term we will make all of you shilling people go back to hand code crucial parts of the business logic
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#17[dead]
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#18>How to keep my identity?
It is simple. Use AI to write better code than what AI could have written own its own. The delta is your identity.
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#19> When AI writes better code than I do, how am I supposed to maintain my motivation and identity? I'm just going to be honest, this is cope. Your self-doubt is correct here and you should listen to it. This is like a weaver asking how to maintain their identity in light of machines doing what they could do faster and cheaper. The honest answer is to find something else because at best you're delaying the inevitable.…
> The only good news here is that we'll probably only have to worry about getting by for a decade max.
What’s goin to happen after a decade?
Re: Ask HN: AI writes better code than me. How to keep my identity?
#20Old geezer here. Started programming in the early 1980s, did it professionally for ~20 years, then transitioned into what today would be called SRE and cyber security, worked in it for ~20 years more, then retired -- and today, I do my own coding, SREing and cyber securing as a kind of hobby.
I feel your pain -- there's no doubt the current crop of LLMs is better than me in all these domains. I would be in real trouble, both in terms of gainful employment and identity, if I still depended for these just on my own personal skills.
In terms of gainful employment, I can't really help you -- but becoming a niche domain expert like other posters suggested sounds good. Also, for those things I do, me+AI is still significantly better than AI alone, so what I seem to be slowly turning into is a kind of 'manager-centaur/shepherd' where I define the problem/goal and then ride close herd on top of the AI to help guide it and correct its mistakes and sub-optimal decisions. But as you noticed, with the constant model evolution this is becoming unnecessary, and like niche domain expertise, I don't think will last long. What I would try and do if I was in your situation today, is to try and become financially secure as quickly as possible. But I'm not sure that it would be possible, at least in my case.
Re: identity, what I did starting about 10 years before I retired, was to change areas. In my case it was not for gainful employ since I was already financially secure, but to keep myself intellectually active and motivated. For me the new area was philosophy (yes, really, and I'm so glad I did) and kind of fits with the AI era since the ever-growing problems of AI consciousness and how to integrate it with society are well handled by it (Philosophy of Mind and Philosophical Ethics/Politics, respectively). Philosophically, it's a wonderful time to be alive.
I apologize if I can't offer you any real, ready-to-deploy solutions, but I hope my report can at least help illuminate and inspire you on finding your own path. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.