[mrothroc]

Non-coders often think all engineers do is write code. They don't realize how much more hours are spent on making sure the code we write is correct, from many angles. Functional bugs? Easy to maintain? Cost optimized? Meets user expectations?

When they have a machine that cranks out code, and honestly pretty good code, they think it's the same thing.

Eventually though I suspect many people will discover what many studies over many decades have shown: the most expensive part of software is maintenance.

This will eventually be the problem for your client. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably start laying the foundation for that. If they're willing to bear the cost, then fine. If not, then ultimately you're set up for a clean exit when you can no longer get the software to run as they want in a timely fashion.