You still have to be good. Yes, we will be able to generate lots of code. Lots of code, quicker. Lots of code, much quicker. But if you care about how the code looks, reads, behaves, or performs, you can still care about those things. You can still derive satisfaction from the quality of the work, even if it’s not derived from your own synapses and nerve endings.

Can you ask the AI to shape the code in specific ways? Yes. Can you ask the AI to organize the tests in specific ways? Yes. Can you ask the AI to create abstractions when you think it makes sense? Yes.

Is it still possible for a code base to collapse under the weight of a poor, leaky, pre-mature abstraction? Absolutely. Does the art of knowing when to abstract, and how much to abstract still exist? Yes. There has always been a fine line between when to refactor and when to leave it alone. These lines will still criss-cross a code base like the ice fissures on the Jovian moon Europa.

The AI will be limited in scope, it will not see the full picture. You will. You will understand the business context, you will understand the deadlines, you will understand when to bob and when to weave, and those refactor or not, abstract or not, decisions will come faster not slower. You’ll have less time to contemplate, you’ll need to be right more often to ensure mistakes won’t compound. You still need to be good.