Is Artificial Intelligence Threatening Developer Jobs? Here a Shocking News!

Will Artificial Intelligence Threaten Developer Jobs? Here's a Shocking News!

Artificial intelligence possesses a significant capability that can bring about a "revolution" in the business world. Little did programmers know that their jobs would be at stake after the systems they developed began taking over their work. Technology companies have become accustomed to hiring specialized individuals for programming and coding to develop software and various solutions. However, some of these companies now rely on artificial intelligence software to execute their work quickly and at low costs, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Software Industry Workers

During recent times, artificial intelligence solutions have emerged capable of performing many tasks previously carried out by ordinary individuals. These individuals are now being replaced by advanced technological systems, with software industry jobs at the forefront. Economists refer to this phenomenon as "skill-biased technological change."

Economists also point out that this occurs when "technology makes workers more productive, while it takes over the complex and difficult parts, making workers performing these tasks more susceptible to replacement."

Half of the American Workforce

According to the newspaper, "artificial intelligence works to automate cognitive work," which will impact "half of the American workforce working in these jobs." Demand for individuals with medium-level skills will decline in favor of various technological systems.

It also highlights that the "new technology has the ability to modify the lineup of winners and losers in the increasingly polarizing US economy" around different axes.

Escaping the "Economic Slowdown"

Furthermore, it was noted that the introduction of various programming assistance tools coincided with technology companies laying off a significant number of employees in late last year. Software engineer jobs, in particular, have suffered the most losses in the job market since the beginning of 2023 in the United States, according to data from "Revilio Labs." However, demand for individuals with "very advanced" software engineering skills remains high.

The current situation in the software industry job market is attributed to startup companies seeking to survive the "economic slowdown" by reducing their hiring efforts. Some companies are hiring individuals with exceptional and advanced expertise while freezing any opportunities for those with intermediate skills.

ChatGPT and Microsoft

Since late 2022, ChatGPT has been capitalizing on the surge in generative artificial intelligence, especially in text, image, and even video creation. Software professionals found a way to use and adapt it by assisting them in creating and testing programming "code." They were unaware that a "revolution" would also threaten their jobs.

In mid-2022, Microsoft launched a special programming tool called "GitHub Copilot," which can be used by both programmers and regular users to build programming code and assist in testing.

Survey data from "Stack Overflow" shows that approximately 70% of the 90,000 participating programmers use artificial intelligence solutions in their work, with about one-third of them stating that these tools make them more productive.

Government Intervention Advocated

Technology experts are concerned about the risks and effects of artificial intelligence systems if not properly controlled. In late June, Jeffrey Hinton, considered the godfather of artificial intelligence, urged governments to intervene to ensure that machines do not take control of society.

Hinton made headlines in May when he resigned from Google shortly after joining the company to speak more freely about the dangers of artificial intelligence. This happened shortly after the launch of the "ChatGPT" chatbot program, which captivated the world's imagination.

The artificial intelligence researcher, who teaches at the University of Toronto, added, "Before artificial intelligence becomes smarter than us, I believe we should encourage those who develop it to put a lot of effort into understanding how it might try to take control from us." He further stated, "There are now 99 very smart people trying to make artificial intelligence better, and one very smart person trying to figure out how to prevent it from taking over. Perhaps you should be more balanced."