10 Reasons Why AI Won't Replace Python Developers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere. Silently, AI has become part of our everyday life and has become indispensable, even for Python developers.

Have you ever used Siri on your iPhone or Amazon Alexa at home? Those tools are based on Natural Language Processing, a field of AI. If you are an electric vehicle lover, you should know Tesla, which provides autopilot features on its vehicles. Those autopilot features are able to perform object and people detection; they’re based on Computer Vision, another field of AI.

Have you ever bought something online? Almost all e-commerce and payment networks have fraud detection mechanisms to avoid suspicious sales (stolen cards, etc. ). This fraud detection is based on machine learning, a field of AI. Speaking of e-commerce, did you know that big retailers like Amazon use robotics to manage their stocks? Autonomous and semi-autonomous robots allow them to improve stock management and delivery, and guess what? They use AI!

Interested in starting your own Python programming journey? Check out the track Learn Programming with Python on LearnPython.com – it will introduce you to the fundamentals of programming using the Python language.

AI became trendy in the last year because of tools that were released to the general public: ChatGPT, Midjourney, DALL-E, etc. Those tools redefined the way people search for information: ChatGPT can give you personal recommendations, create a training routine, create a custom diet, summarize a book, and much more! It can even write a whole article for a given subject. (Don’t worry! I did write this article, and, as far as I know, I’m human.)

Professionals are also using those tools every day: corporate resumes, text and image generation for marketing specialists, virtual sales assistance, email writing, etc. The possibilities are infinite!

AI for Python Developers

Artificial Intelligence has also entered the development sphere. The mythical combo of Google and Stack Overflow for developers is slowly disappearing! An increasing number of developers are now using AI tools that generate blocks of code from a simple prompt. ChatGPT is used for development, but there are now AI-specific tools for programming, like Amazon’s CodeWhisperer or GitHub’s Copilot.

Here is an example of a Python function generation with CodeWhisperer:

Image from Amazon

Outstanding, right? Those tools are amazing for Python Developers! But before using them, it’s necessary to know what the Python programming language is and to understand the role of a Python developer.

The first version of Python was created in the late 1980s by the Dutch programmer Guido van Rossum. It was primarily considered a scripting language during the 1990s. But around 2010, Python got a new life with the rising development of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Nowadays, Python is used for a wide range of domains: scripts, web applications, data analysis, Artificial Intelligence, and complex mathematical and financial calculations, among others.

The increasing popularity of Python made it one of the favorite programming languages for beginners. According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2022, almost 60% of developers want to learn Python! If you want to know more about why Python is so popular, check out the article Is Python Still Worth Learning?

If you have doubts about starting a Python career path, don’t be afraid: the job market offers a lot of opportunities! With Python knowledge, you could be a software developer, an ethical hacker, or a data scientist, for example. Do you want to know more about jobs related to Python? Then read the article Python Jobs to Choose in 2023.

And when it comes to the salary, there’s nothing to be worried about: according to ZipRecruiter, the national average for a Python Developer is $116,847 per year in the United States. Not bad!

If you are interested in becoming a Python developer, I recommend you read another article of mine, Python Developer Career Path.

AI for Python Developers: A Tool or a Threat?

You may wonder: Is it worth becoming a Python developer? Will AI replace them all? Artificial Intelligence is not a threat for Python developers, and I will demonstrate why.

Creativity

Being a Python developer means being creative! During your career, you will face tricky problems without any apparent solution. As a human, you can think outside the box and bring novel solutions to complex problems. You have the ability to think creatively, this allows you to innovate and find unique ways to approach challenges – something AI has yet to replicate.

Solving Complex Problems

AI performs well at narrowly defined tasks, like creating a specific functionality. But Python developers often need to solve complex problems with many variables, exceptions, and edge cases – something that’s so far impossible for AI.

Building Complex Applications

AI can generate pieces of code, scripts, and functions, but it does not have the capability to create a complex application.

Teamwork

Being a Python developer isn't just about coding alone! During your career, you will work with fellow pros: front-end developers, product owners, database specialists, and Quality Assurance (QA) experts, among others. You may have to interact with marketing or sales teams as well. This requires soft skills like communication, leadership, and empathy. AI is not ready for that!

Understanding Confusing Information

When you are assigned a new task, the information you’re given can be confusing, unclear, or complicated. This happens because another human (your boss, the product owner, or whoever) has provided information that AI will find hardly understandable. Even as a human developer, I’ve often had to send a message like: “Hey, I did not understand the task. Do you have a couple of minutes for a meeting?”

Understanding Business Context

Again, being a Python developer is not only about coding! You have first to understand the business context and requirements. Before creating a new product or implementing a new feature, you need to know the target audience and how the new thing will be used.

During your career, you will be in charge of development tasks that require understanding the broader business context. You will have to liaise with stakeholders to understand the nuances of the problem at hand and develop appropriate solutions. AI can't (yet) grasp the subtleties of human intentions and business goals.

Emotion and Empathy

Emotion and empathy are necessary skills for a Python developer. They are a requirement for teamwork, but also for development: designing a user-friendly application or system often requires understanding human emotions, cultural contexts, and user behaviors. A human developer can make mistakes, but it is more probable for AI to use an offensive word or create something that’s visually objectionable.

Ethical and Moral Decisions

Development often comes with ethical implications. For instance, when designing algorithms that impact humans, developers need to make judgments that balance efficiency with ethical considerations.

During my career, I’ve sometimes had a contrary point of view to the company I was working for, like “I can implement this new feature, but it’s so invasive for the final user that we should look for another solution”. AI lacks the moral understanding to make such decisions.

AI Training and Maintenance

AI models, especially sophisticated ones, require constant training, tuning, and maintenance. Python developers are the ones who design, update, and ensure the smooth running of these systems. AI can’t yet train itself.

AI Can Be Wrong!

A system based on AI will give the user the answer it judges the best for a given problem. But it does not mean that it is the right answer! AI is not a genius who will give us the secrets of the universe. AI is based and trained on human information; like any human, it can sometimes be wrong! So it does not matter what piece of code is generated by AI – a human developer has to verify it and validate it.

AI Won’t Replace Python Developers!

AI is a powerful tool for Python developers, but it is not an alternative to us! Human Python developers are essential to ensure the correct development and delivery of a digital product. So what are you waiting for? Begin your Python learning path and join the Python community!

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I really hope you enjoyed this article and it motivated you to learn Python! See you in the next article!