The Workers Letting A.I. Do Their Jobs

Key Takeaways

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  AI now generates the majority of code

  “many software developers who were early adopters of the technology have outsourced so many tasks that they barely program at all.”

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  Programmers are shifting into supervisory roles

  “He explains what it looks like when programmers invite A.I. to help them do their jobs.”

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  Traditional computer programming is rapidly ending

  “It’s the end of computer programming as we know it.”

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  AI is fundamentally redefining technical labor

  “questions have been raised about how it would change our lives and jobs.”

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  AI adoption spans all tech sectors

  “Clive Thompson... interviewed about 75 software developers at major tech companies, small businesses and start-ups.”

Episode Description

Since the release of generative A.I., questions have been raised about how it would change our lives and jobs. Now, many software developers who were early adopters of the technology have outsourced so many tasks that they barely program at all. Clive Thompson, who writes about technology and science, interviewed about 75 software developers at major tech companies, small businesses and start-ups. He explains what it looks like when programmers invite A.I. to help them do their jobs. Guest: Clive Thompson, who writes about technology and science for The New York Times Magazine, Wired, Smithsonian and other publications. Background reading:  Coding after coders: It’s the end of computer programming as we know it. Photo: Adam Glanzman for The New York Times For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.  Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.