How AI Is Transforming Software Development and Challenging Coding Skills

Since the launch of ChatGPT two and a half years ago, public concern has grown over artificial intelligence's ability to generate human-like writing. Many fear that overreliance on AI for text creation could weaken people's reading and writing skills. Discussions have circulated about the demise of the traditional college essay and widespread student use of AI tools to bypass academic effort, threatening the future of education, employment, and creative arts.

However, the most pressing challenge posed by AI isn’t limited to language or writing—it’s impacting computer programming. This became clear during a course on AI, language, and philosophy when a student shared how he used to write code to analyze data sets from experiments or surveys. Now, he simply uploads the data to ChatGPT, which processes and interprets it far more efficiently, requiring minimal input from him.

This example highlights that AI is as much a test for our quantitative reasoning and numeracy skills as it is for literacy.

In early 2024, AI engineer Andrej Karpathy described a new approach to software creation he termed “vibecoding.” By using only spoken prompts with a chatbot, Karpathy conducted quick data experiments while barely touching his keyboard. This method allowed him to delegate the tedious aspects of coding to AI, focusing instead on high-level direction. His approach quickly gained attention, with many programmers adopting similar workflows.

Yet, vibecoding has faced criticism. Reports suggest AI-generated code can be inefficient and prone to errors that are difficult to fix. More concerningly, programmers practicing this method have observed a decline in their coding skills, sometimes forgetting foundational techniques altogether. Like language proficiency, programming ability diminishes without regular practice. Preliminary studies also indicate that reliance on AI may stifle human creativity over time.

This shift is already evident in the industry. In 2024, Google revealed that AI contributed to over a quarter of its codebase, while Microsoft reported similar figures amid large-scale layoffs affecting many software engineers. Amazon has also integrated AI-assisted coding, transforming software development from an intellectually demanding craft into a more mechanized process. AI companies are responding to these trends; for instance, OpenAI is reportedly negotiating a $3 billion acquisition of Windsurf, a company specializing in AI-powered coding assistants.