OpenAI, which is one of the first AI companies that offered agentic artificial intelligence to the world, is now regretting this decision. Yes, the same Artificial Intelligence which OpenAI executives presented as a revolutionary technology like the Internet has now started to pinch the same executives.
While speaking on the Cheeky Pint podcast, OpenAI chairman Bret Taylor said stepping away from writing code has been emotionally difficult as AI becomes capable of doing work that once defined software engineers.
Ever since the tech industry has adopted AI, its abilities have been growing quickly. AI tools started off as something that could produce basic code, but now have grown into systems that are capable of writing complete code, detecting bugs, and even fixing those bugs on their own. Though this is helping in increasing productivity, it is also causing experienced engineers to question their own role in this new scenario.
AI has undervalued Craftsmanship
Bret Taylor explained that writing code was once something he deeply valued. For years, many developers took pride in crafting clean and thoughtful programs to solve complex problems. But he believes that sense of craftsmanship is now being challenged by systems capable of producing working software much faster.
He added that while he still cares about accuracy and reliability in software, he is trying to detach some of the emotional importance he once placed on personally writing the code.
AI is rapidly automating coding jobs
Bret Taylor’s comments come at a time when AI systems are rapidly improving at programming tasks that once required skilled engineers. From generating code to identifying errors, such tools are already widely used across technology companies.
Boris Cherny, who built an AI coding agent at Anthropic, recently suggested that this shift could reshape engineering roles. According to him, coding itself may become less central to the job.
What does the future look like due to AI?
‘I think today coding is practically solved for me, and I think it’ll be the case for everyone regardless of domain,’ Cherny said. ‘I think we’re going to start to see the title software engineer go away.’