The Third Golden Age of Software Engineering – Thanks to AI, with Grady Booch
I sit down with Grady Booch to put today’s AI automation claims in historical context and explain why software engineering is entering another golden age, not disappearing.
TL;DR
- Software engineering is in its third golden age, focusing on systems, which began with abstraction from individual components to platforms, not solely with AI.
- Existential crises in software engineering, like fears during the rise of compilers and higher-level languages, are not new and have historically led to evolution.
- AI coding tools are viewed as an increase in abstraction, similar to compilers, that will change tools but not the fundamental problems engineers solve.
- Current AI tools excel at automating known patterns but are limited in addressing the broader frontier of computing.
- Deep foundations and systems thinking become more crucial as the field accelerates at an incomprehensible pace.
- The software delivery pipeline is identified as low-hanging fruit for automation, requiring reskilling for those in these roles.
- Future demand will increase for engineers who understand complexity at scale and can manage both human and technical forces.
- AI allows engineers to shift attention from development friction to imagination, enabling the creation of previously impossible things.
- The current period is presented as an opportunity for engineers to 'soar' rather than fear obsolescence.