Why AI hasn’t replaced software engineers, and won’t
The narrative that AI is about to trigger mass layoffs in software engineering is mostly “AI washing.”
I keep seeing executives use AI as a convenient shield for traditional restructuring. It’s easier to tell shareholders you are streamlining for the “AI era” than to admit you’re just cutting costs or trimming management layers. This isn’t just noise; it’s a delusion that creates unnecessary friction in our tech ecosystem.
In my view, we need to look at the “decide-execute-deliver” sandwich. AI is excellent at compressing the execution layer—writing the boilerplate, debugging the syntax, and churning out the code. But it still struggles with the critical human layers: making high-stakes decisions and ensuring the final delivery aligns with complex user needs or public sector regulations. True productivity isn’t about replacing the engineer; it’s about augmenting their ability to manage that “sandwich” more effectively.
For those of us working in European tech and the public sector, this distinction is vital. We shouldn’t be looking for ways to fire people with a prompt; we should be looking at how our humans can make better decisions faster by leveraging these tools.
Are we actually seeing AI-driven productivity gains, or are we just watching a rebranding of old corporate tactics?
#ArtificialIntelligence #SoftwareEngineering #TechLeadership #PublicSector #AIEthics
https://www.normaltech.ai/p/why-ai-hasnt-replaced-software-engineers