3 ms·

> highly generic, often looking to implement something completely off the shelf as far as problems go. There is serious work being undergone in automating this

by bitL 8y ago

> highly generic, often looking to implement something completely off the shelf as far as problems go. There is serious work being undergone in automating this using advanced ML. In 5-10 years most of these problems will be LEGO-ized and humans won't be needed on that level. So your generic JavaScript developer used to glue these pieces will be gone.

woah 8y ago
That’s been 5-10 years out since the 50’s, right?
- bitL 8y ago
  Yeah, but this time we actually seem to have some half-functioning ML in form of Deep (Reinforcement) Learning, which we didn't have before. You can't expect all issues will be automated away, but more like a gradual process when more and more tasks will be, and companies competing with each other on who finds a new way to automate something, like we saw with any explosive R&D in the past.
nomy99 8y ago
why is it that in all advancement of machine learning and AI prophecies, the developer becomes obsolete. Remember, we are automating systems and technology to advance our species when facing tougher problems. The rise of AI and machine learning came out of the necessity of faster computers and a bigger connected community of humans and devices. Turnaround time for features and business value also is driving this innovation. As systems get more complicated, the roles of developers will change, not be obsolete. For a developer to cease to exist, humanity itself would have to change. When you imply technology being created and managed its own, the implications to society are huge. I might even argue that the species survival would even be at risk here. I think in the foreseeable future, developers would interface with ever more smart and complete features.
- bitL 8y ago
  I am working in that area myself, maybe I am just better informed and convinced by what I experimented with. Even Adobe is now doing LEGO-esque photo editing and looking for testers. When we get those things to production, there will be serious shift in basic-level developer demand; those will be likely out of luck soon. Most people would be able to assemble a simple app covering many of their needs just by dictating to their phones what would they expect to see and pre-baked LEGO blocks will be applied. Imagine fun with Minecraft but this time with blocks of properly encapsulated code, real-time using voice, touch and eye tracking.
  - nomy99 8y ago
    >Most people would be able to assemble a simple app covering many of their needs just by dictating to their phones what would they expect to see and pre-baked LEGO blocks will be applied Most people don't need an app. Generally, businesses with intent on making profit need an app. Even then, the app is usually just an interface to the real beast driving business value hidden behind a DMZ in the cloud. Even if an application becomes autogenerated, a developer will have more time to focus on the rest of the flow that delivers value. My point is that as engineers, we build systems using ever improving tools. I don't think we should fear AI and Machine learning, but embrace it and work at higher abstractions to solve even better problems. I would say a javascript developer might become obsolete, just as a flash developer did. But an engineer focusing on end to end systems who uses javascript won't.

by bitL 8y ago

woah 8y ago

That’s been 5-10 years out since the 50’s, right?

bitL 8y ago
Yeah, but this time we actually seem to have some half-functioning ML in form of Deep (Reinforcement) Learning, which we didn't have before. You can't expect all issues will be automated away, but more like a gradual process when more and more tasks will be, and companies competing with each other on who finds a new way to automate something, like we saw with any explosive R&D in the past.

nomy99 8y ago

why is it that in all advancement of machine learning and AI prophecies, the developer becomes obsolete. Remember, we are automating systems and technology to advance our species when facing tougher problems. The rise of AI and machine learning came out of the necessity of faster computers and a bigger connected community of humans and devices. Turnaround time for features and business value also is driving this innovation. As systems get more complicated, the roles of developers will change, not be obsolete. For a developer to cease to exist, humanity itself would have to change. When you imply technology being created and managed its own, the implications to society are huge. I might even argue that the species survival would even be at risk here. I think in the foreseeable future, developers would interface with ever more smart and complete features.

bitL 8y ago
I am working in that area myself, maybe I am just better informed and convinced by what I experimented with. Even Adobe is now doing LEGO-esque photo editing and looking for testers. When we get those things to production, there will be serious shift in basic-level developer demand; those will be likely out of luck soon. Most people would be able to assemble a simple app covering many of their needs just by dictating to their phones what would they expect to see and pre-baked LEGO blocks will be applied. Imagine fun with Minecraft but this time with blocks of properly encapsulated code, real-time using voice, touch and eye tracking.
- nomy99 8y ago
  >Most people would be able to assemble a simple app covering many of their needs just by dictating to their phones what would they expect to see and pre-baked LEGO blocks will be applied Most people don't need an app. Generally, businesses with intent on making profit need an app. Even then, the app is usually just an interface to the real beast driving business value hidden behind a DMZ in the cloud. Even if an application becomes autogenerated, a developer will have more time to focus on the rest of the flow that delivers value. My point is that as engineers, we build systems using ever improving tools. I don't think we should fear AI and Machine learning, but embrace it and work at higher abstractions to solve even better problems. I would say a javascript developer might become obsolete, just as a flash developer did. But an engineer focusing on end to end systems who uses javascript won't.