[h3lp]

I see an analogy to the discussions from my youth about compilers vs. assembly language programmers. It is still true that assembly is required to write high performance primitives, and that a competent assembly programmer will always beat a good compiler on a small function---but a compiler will consistently turn out decent and correct code for the entire project. So, basically, the compilers won, and assembly is relegated to be an important but niche skill.

[lurking_swe]

the word “consistently” in your anecdote is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Generative AI is anything but consistent. A compiler _is_, hence its immense value. Furthermore, even a junior programmer can compile their program and generate robust assembly code, not the case with generative AI.

It’s hard to predict how this plays out IMO. Especially since this industry (broadly speaking) doesn’t believe in training juniors anymore.