AI will disrupt and transform the work developers do. No, really. I can give you an example. From my own kitchen, so to speak. It shows how development is developing .
GOFAI: 80 weeks
We started developing our platform in what feels like the late GOFAI era. In those days, whenever I came up with a brilliant idea, my developers would tell me it would take 80 weeks to complete. It is important to listen to developers. I am happy that I listened to them.
Token AI: 8 days
Since the dawn of OpenAI, my company provides OpenAI feedback to students on psychometric test reports. When OpenAI came into the world, it felt like we had been preparing for it for years. We had the advantage of an advanced messaging system and elaborate coach functionality. But still. This was different. We added a coach and routed its replies through the OpenAI api. Hardly any code was altered. We spent 8 days instead of 80 weeks. And it worked!
Indie AI: 8 minutes
But something was still bugging me. The problem with chatGTP is that it doesn’t work really well in the Netherlands. We ride bicycles really often and really well. But typing while trying not to get killed by traffic is not easy. We needed AI to listen to us and speak to us when we do our cycling. The solution took us 8 minutes to create. We altered zero lines of code. The description is in the epilogue.
Solution AI: 8 seconds
My point is: the blessing of AI is that it accelerates creating. The labour market will not benefit from AI. People trying to outsmart each other will keep each other in check. But shipping ideas will become unfathomably easy. Product development will come down to 8 seconds.
Epilogue
The solution? Create a shortcut.
- Siri Shortcuts Setup:
- Open the “Shortcuts” app
- Create a new shortcut.
- Add “Open URLs” and input your URL.
- Add “Speak Text”.
- Add “Get Contents”
- Name the shortcut (e.g., “Not you siri”).
- Usage example:
- Say, “Hey Siri, Not you siri.” “Tell me why someone would suddenly blog in English instead of ze moerstaal.”