Microsoft has recently announced the development of a new code development platform named AutoDev, powered by artificial intelligence (AI) agents. The platform is designed to allow AI agents to interact with each other and develop code. This concept of automated development platforms relies on multiple repositories to handle software engineering tasks of a complex nature, and it provides users with the necessary tools to validate their results. Initial tests have shown that the concept is feasible.
However, the introduction of such platforms raises questions about the role of human programmers in the future. According to Microsoft, human programmers will be assigned a supervisory role, similar to project managers. In other words, their duties will no longer include writing the code necessary for a program’s goals, but rather, they will be spectators of the work performed by the AI agents and intervene whenever necessary.
This new scenario raises concerns about the future of human jobs if AI takes over most of the tasks. It is important to note that humans will no longer need to perfect their coding techniques, but they must be diligent in understanding how to explain their purposes so that they can intervene whenever the AI deviates from the goals defined in its conception of the project.
Moreover, it is crucial to know who can intervene if things go wrong in such a scenario. If everything is done by AI, who will have the knowledge to fix it when necessary? This is an ongoing debate, especially with the regular advances in AI.