Is AI Replacing Developers?

Last year, I asked my cousin if he had decided what to study, secretly hoping he’d choose software development, just like I did.

He told me something that caught me off guard.

“I wanted to study computer science like you, but after reading that AI might take over software development jobs, I changed my mind.”

Now he’s looking for a different career path.

A quick note for readers in developed countries: my cousin lives in Turkey, and -as in many developing countries- university decisions are heavily influenced by job market prospects rather than personal passion. When I was picking my own career path (I had decided on software development at the age of 7), nearly everyone urged me to study medicine instead. Back in the late 2000s, doctors were earning significantly more than engineers, and medical school guaranteed state employment. If you came from a working- or middle-class background, medicine was a smart way to climb the social ladder.

But things have changed.

After the pandemic, the IT sector in Turkey exploded. At the same time, many experienced engineers left the country due to political instability, relocating to Europe and North America. That talent drain created a gap in the local market, causing salaries for senior engineers to rise and junior developers benefited from that shift, too.

This shift in demand made computer science a much more attractive field again. So I told my cousin:

“LLMs aren’t replacing software engineers anytime soon. If you go to a good school and commit to growing your skills, you’ll be fine, even in an AI-powered world.”

But as soon as I said it, doubt crept in.

I couldn’t help but ask myself:

• Am I really the right person to give this kind of advice?
• Was I being too optimistic?
• Could AI really be changing the game that fast?

I’ll admit: I didn’t expect AI to advance this fast. Was I giving him a “boomer take” without realizing it?

Fast-forward to today.

Several AI tools are now integrated directly into my editor. Tasks that used to take me hours can sometimes be completed in minutes. The code they generate is bug-free around 90% of the time, or at least becomes so after a few quick iterations. I can generate unit and integration tests automatically. I can even build polished frontend features that I used to skip because they were too time-consuming.

AI has become my co-pilot, helping me write, improve, and review code faster than ever.

From today’s perspective, I can say this confidently:

Yes, some software development roles can be replaced by AI.

Especially the ones involving repetitive, CRUD-heavy work.

But the truly innovative stuff? The projects needing real judgment, a spark of creativity, that deep, nuanced understanding? That’s still human territory. For engineers who get that, AI isn’t a threat; it’s a force multiplier.

And honestly, this reality isn’t limited to software. If you’re mediocre at what you do, AI might outperform you. Whether you’re a doctor, teacher, designer, or engineer, it doesn’t matter. But if you’re great at what you do, AI becomes a powerful assistant, not a threat.

So, what I’ve come to believe is this: AI is definitely changing the landscape, no doubt. But it’s not about to make smart, adaptable people obsolete. If you want to ride this wave instead of being swamped by it, the answer isn’t to fear AI, but to get seriously good at what you do, with AI as part of your toolkit.

And yes, I still stand by my advice to my cousin, even if it came with a few “maybe I’m wrong” moments along the way.