r/webdev • u/Proud-Confidence7290 • Nov 26 '23

Question Will AI decrease demand and salaries?

Hello everyone.

I am new to web development and it goes well so far.

I'm bit scared of AI development. Let's say you needed 10 developers for a project before ChatGPT and now you need 8.

With the development of AI, we will need even less.

Why do people think AI won't decrease demand and salaries of web developers? It's logic for me, what am I missing?

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u/dillanthumous Nov 26 '23

I think it will actually increase demand.

Speadsheets used to be drawn by hand with a ruler and pencil.

Then electronic spreadsheets came.

Initially that destroyed a bunch of jobs, due to being faster and more accurate, and then it created far, far, far more.

Once people realised they could now quickly do multiple projections, scenario planning, dynamic models etc. The demand for those skills became, and remains, huge.

Once people realise ChatGPT allows people to create or rebuild websites more quickly they will suddenly decide to do the more complex site, rebrand more often, experiment more cheaply, have an in house web dev junior they can lean on for rapid changes. Etc. Etc.

In my opinion, this is a great time for entrepreneurial Web dev and developers generally.

NPR did a podcast about it and tech in general. Go listen. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2017/05/17/528807590/episode-606-spreadsheets

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u/Proud-Confidence7290 Dec 17 '23

But isn't AI just helping us do things faster? It isn't like other technologies that improve the Quality.. That's what scares me

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u/dillanthumous Dec 17 '23

Firstly, as a techy who has now used these tools, I'm not worried.

But beyond that, look at other industries.

When we invented mechanical tools we didn't keep living in small houses, we built tower blocks and skyscrapers.

When we invented mass production we didn't just make enough cars for the same number of people as when they were hand made, we made cars for billions of people.

Or, look at medicine. The promulgation and expansion of medical treatments hasn't cured everyone, it has created a vast medical industry.

So long as there are new problems to solve and economic incentives to solve the, and the tools need human brains to drive them, there will be a demand for workers.

Perhaps AI tools will one day make people obsolete, but from what I have seen so far that makes about as much sense as worrying that power tools will make builders redundant.

Of course, 20 years from now all bets are off

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u/Proud-Confidence7290 Dec 17 '23

Like I said, all those things are new tech and they improve quality. ChatGPT, Google Gemini and similar don't do any significant improvements except time. That's the problem.