Let's be clear: the art of software design is not about writing code. It never was, and it never will be. The art lies in the process of thinking, the puzzle of fitting pieces together, and analysing the real problem behind what you try to fix. These aspects are not going to change with AI. But for me, it feels the joy does.
Here's the thing: I've realised that for me, a big chunk of the joy is in the coding part. Solving the code puzzle, debugging through lines of code, and finding that optimisation. It's the life of a programmer that I love most; One moment, you're thinking, What the hell is going on here? Next, you're on top of the world because you've fixed that challenge by writing some nice, structured piece of code yourself. It's an addiction; it feeds you with a little dopamine every time. And the majesty of that joy likely is in the pride of having solved it yourself.
But while working with AI agents, I don't experience that same joy. Instead, I have to write tons of documentation, specs, and constitutions to get exactly what I want. And let's be honest: I haven't heard a programmer in years say, "Writing documentation is what I like to do most. It's the best part of my job!". If you're that person, call me now!
What is this hype all about? Can anyone tell me why they love the idea of some thing is writing their code?
Here's another fun fact I constantly experience: the more precise the documentation, the better the outcome. It works best when instructing an LLM with precise specs and facts and leave no room to color outside those lines. Feels like a very logical experience, especially for a programmer like me. But wait, that sounds like an instruction set. Hmm, it feels like a programming language. The difference is in this: it's not code, when you make a mistake, you don't know which line of that documentation caused it. Yes, you can ask the AI model to explain why it behaves as it does, but it doesn't feel like debugging with the same control I'm used to.
So, the question to my self is: How can AI fuel my joy? I want it to support me with the things I don't like, and I am sure it's capable to support me better with that requirement. My journey has just begun.
While wrapping up my thoughts in this blogpost I found some great articles written by others, where I heard the same sound resonating, but also will inspire me to define the future requirements for my needs better: