"AI Will Build Entire Features": Manager's Remark Sparks Debate On Reddit

A Reddit post describing a conversation between a software engineer and his skip manager has sparked a debate about the future of software development in the age of artificial intelligence. The post, shared on the r/developersIndia subreddit, details an exchange that took place during a lift ride. According to the Reddit user, the manager said that nobody had expected AI to become capable enough to write code.

The engineer agreed that AI had become remarkably advanced but argued that there would always be a need for human engineers to review AI-generated code.

"But it is going to be this way now. It can't go beyond this. It has to be some engineer who is going to review and there will always be an engineer required for the job," the user wrote, recalling the conversation.

However, the manager reportedly disagreed. According to the post, the manager smirked before saying that AI would soon be able to develop entire software features without any human involvement. The engineer said the response left him stunned.

A conversation with my skip manager made me realise how these upper management thinks of AI.
by u/prat8 in developersIndia

"The level of ignorance and arrogance and lack of empathy is what made me feel angry," the Reddit user wrote, adding that the conversation made him feel that software engineers were becoming less valued.

The post quickly attracted hundreds of reactions, with many users sharing their own views on the future of AI in software development.

Several commenters argued that while AI tools have significantly improved productivity, they still require human oversight to verify code quality, security and business requirements.

Others believed that advances in AI could eventually automate much of the software development process, although they said human expertise would still be needed for decision-making, system design and accountability.

The discussion reflects a wider debate across the technology industry as increasingly capable AI coding assistants change the way software is built, while raising questions about the future role of developers.

(Disclaimer: This story is based entirely on a post shared on social media and the reactions it received. NDTV has not independently verified the claims made in the post and is not responsible for their accuracy or authenticity.)