How AI is changing engineering
AI Summary
This short video from Lenny’s Podcast explores how AI is fundamentally transforming the engineering profession. The speaker breaks down engineering work into three core components: deciding what to solve, determining how to solve it, and actually implementing the solution.
Key Insights:
AI’s Impact on Engineering Tasks:
- AI is expected to handle the majority, if not all, of the actual implementation work (“solving it”)
- As AI becomes more sophisticated in understanding codebases, it will likely also take over much of the “how to solve it” phase
- This leaves engineers to focus on the most strategic aspect: “what should I solve for?”
The Future Role of Engineers:
- Engineers will shift toward identifying the most important business problems to solve
- Focus will be on determining critical capabilities that applications and products need
- Strategic prioritization and high-level technical decision-making become primary responsibilities
- This evolution actually aligns with what organizations originally wanted engineers to do
The Value of Computer Science Education:
- While AI may automate much implementation work, foundational CS knowledge remains valuable
- Understanding low-level concepts (like operating systems) helps engineers make better design decisions
- This foundational knowledge aids in performance optimization and architectural choices
- The principles learned in CS education contribute to becoming a more effective engineer
Overall Message:
The video suggests that rather than replacing engineers, AI will elevate their role from implementers to strategic problem-solvers and technical decision-makers, requiring a shift in focus from coding to business and architectural thinking.