Senior Developer Skills in the AI Age

The premise might possibly be true, but as an actually seasoned Python developer, I've taken a look at one file: https://github.com/dx-tooling/platform-problem-monitoring-co...

All of it smells of a (lousy) junior software engineer: from configuring root logger at the top, module level (which relies on module import caching not to be reapplied), over not using a stdlib config file parser and building one themselves, to a raciness in load_json where it's checked for file existence with an if and then carrying on as if the file is certainly there...

In a nutshell, if the rest of it is like this, it simply sucks.

Not all code needs to be written at a high level of quality. A good deal of code just needs to work. Shell scripts, one-offs, linter rules, etc.

You’re objectively correct in a business context, which is what most software is for. For me, seeing AI slop code more and more is just sad from a craft perspective.

Software that’s well designed and architected is a pleasure to read and write, even if a lower quality version would get the job done. I’m watching one of the things I love most in the world become more automated and having the craftsmanship stripped out of it. That’s a bit over dramatic from me, but it’s been sad to watch.

It’s probably the same way monks copying books felt when the printing press came along. “Look at this mechanical, low-quality copy. It lacks all finesse and flourish of the pen!”

I agree with you that it is sad. And what is especially sad is that the result will probably be lower quality overall, but much cheaper. It’s the inevitable result of automation.