AI is the next big thing for the software industry and young engineers face a colossal task of adopting AI into their workflows. As more tech firms encourage their workers to rapidly adapt generative AI into their workflow and liberate their intellect for more creative work, a senior executive at Google has come up with an advisory for young professionals, asking them to take the evolution of artificial intelligence seriously.
In an interaction with Business Insider, Ryan J. Salva, a senior executive at Google, has issued a stark warning to young software engineers, saying that there is “no hiding from AI” as the generative AI technology becomes an integral part of their workflow. Salva’s comments come on the heels of a new Google Cloud report revealing that AI adoption has surged to 90 per cent among software professionals globally.
New report reveals wide AI adoption in Google
The report, which is based on a survey of 5,000 technology workers, found that developers are now spending approximately two hours per day using AI tools. This widespread adoption has prompted Google’s Nathen Harvey to compare the trend to asking if workers use a computer on the job.
Salva clarified that while coding still remains a fundamental skill, the role of a software engineer is shifting. Instead of solely writing code, engineers are now increasingly focusing on higher-level tasks such as product design, architecture, and problem-solving. AI is now handling more of the routine and mundane coding tasks, thus lowering the barrier to entry for non-engineers to participate in software development.
AI closes gap to building but basic skills still needed
“The end product was never just code,” Salva stated, highlighting that the value of an engineer extends beyond simple code generation. He highlighted that AI’s ability to quickly turn a product specification into a prototype is closing the gap between the planning and building phases of a project.
However, the executive stressed that a core understanding of programming languages is still ‘non-negotiable’ for success in the field. “You are going to be entirely unsuccessful if you cannot read the language, at the very least. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of programming languages out there. One needs to be able to read the book.”
