How to become an AI-proof developer in 2025
Read Time: 3 min
I hate the panic on AI strewn all over the internet these days.
Yes, AI will change the world as we know it, and we will need to find ways to navigate this change.
But that is just the normal progression of the world.
Some work becomes obsolete, and new work arises.
Software development is often named one of the "dead” job markets in the age of AI.
Here is my take on this statement as a software engineer with years of experience:
If AI replaces you as a software developer, you don't do any tasks requiring much skill.
In the end, it is always the same topic.
Either you continue learning and developing yourself, or you will become obsolete.
For all worried software developers out there, here is how you can AI-proof yourself.
The skills you need to become an AI-proof developer
AI will take over the coding part of software development.
This is only a tiny part of what a real software developer does.
As a software developer and engineer, you are an expert in these fields:
Computer science foundations — like algorithms, data structures, and math.
Software architecture — yes, there is more to it than REST APIs.
Quality and performance engineering — when is your product good enough?
Requirements engineering — translating the customer requests into working software.
User experience design — how do we help our customer achieve their goal?
If you think all these skills are irrelevant to your job as a software developer, I suggest you look for a new job.
Two skills in particular cut across all these fields above.
Communication
and Problem-solving
Communication
Yes, AI will write the software.
But who is telling the AI what software to write?
Who tells it if the software works as intended and fulfills all requirements?
Who is telling the AI where improvements should be made?
Who is training the AI to become better in what they're doing?
I see the AI revolution in software development play out this way.
AI will replace the jobs of junior developers who only write code.
Senior devs will now manage a team of AI instead of junior devs.
Just as a junior dev will produce shit code if you don't tell them what you want accurately, an AI will do the same.
Shit in ⇒ Shit out.
Here is how you can learn to communicate AI-proof:
Learn to articulate yourself unambiguously, precisely, and concisely.
Learn to understand what people and AI need from you.
Learn to translate between the customer domain and the machine domain.
Learn how to teach others.
If you can communicate on these levels as a software developer, you lead the AI instead of being replaced by it.
Problem-solving
I have one skill that sets me apart from most people around me.
I am a problem-solving machine.
Software development is problem-solving at its core.
Every customer has a goal they want to reach.
But there is an enormous chasm between them and their goal.
This chasm is your customer’s problem.
Your software solves this problem and bridges the chasm for your customers.
If your software is not solving a problem, it is worthless.
You learned to communicate AI-proof above.
So, you learned to listen to others and understand their problems.
Now, you need to learn how to find solutions to these problems.
Problem-solving starts with understanding the greater picture.
You will find easy and beautiful solutions when you really understand the problem.
The next step is to learn how to get to your solutions.
This means organizing all the parts involved and dividing them into digestible bites.
Having a plan will make realizing your solution a matter of execution only, which is the AI's part.
Remember, shit in ⇒ shit out.
If your solution and plan are shit, AI won't be able to write the software that solves the problem.
You must provide the right input, test, and correct what the AI produces.
AI won't be able to take your job with these two fundamental skills in your pocket.
I only scratched the surface of these skills with this article.
Each of these skills has libraries worth of books dedicated to them.
But I haven't seen anyone combine both in the same context.
I also haven't seen any good courses on how to become an AI-proof developer yet.
The courses I saw just taught the most fundamentals of web development.
I'm terrified of the quality of today's software developers if that is the level most of them are at right now.
I might create my own course on this topic to fill the gap.
Would you be interested in a course on becoming an AI-proof software developer?
Talk to me on LinkedIn.
WANT TO LEVEL UP YOUR BUSINESS GAME?
Read all articles one week early.
Thanks for reading to the end!
You rock!
Cheers,
Marcel