Adapt or get left behind. AI is reshaping tech.
Before I dive in, I want to be transparent about how I work. Like many students today, I use AI tools responsibly and within my university’s guidelines. AI helps me brainstorm, clarify ideas, and review my work, similar to how we all use Grammarly, Google, or Stack Overflow. But it never replaces my critical thinking or originality—I always do the work first, then treat AI as a supportive tool.
AI is here—not in some distant sci-fi future, but right here, right now. As a CS student building a career in tech, I’m watching this unfold daily. I use AI to help solve code, but I don’t rely on it to do all the thinking. I build first, let my brain sweat a little, then ask AI to check it, kind of like how it proofreads my writing. It’s my tool, not my boss.
It’s no different than how I’d use Google or Stack Overflow when I need an extra nudge. One of my mentors from my coding bootcamp days once told me, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” And that quote has stayed with me. I’m not going to magically have a Eureka moment and recall the perfect syntax out of thin air. That’s where resourcefulness comes in, just as important as understanding what I’m solving. AI helps me bridge those gaps, but it isn’t flying the plane, I am.
What’s funny is, this same conversation is happening everywhere. And it’s not just in the coding world—AI is becoming a common tool in higher education too. A recent Stanford MBA student wrote that AI helps students free up time to focus on real discussions and higher-level problem solving, while AI handles summarizing or coding support (The San Francisco Chronicle, 2024). A Wired survey of 730 developers backs this up, showing the industry is split on how devs use AI day to day. Some use AI like it’s their ride or die teammate, others treat it like it’s radioactive. But here’s the thing: AI isn’t replacing us, it’s reshaping how we work. It’s what one coder called a “force multiplier” (Wired, 2024), automating the grunt work but leaving the creativity, architecture, and critical problem-solving in our hands. In other words, it’s like having an intern—think Jarvis from Iron Man—but we’re still Tony Stark.
Honestly, I’m not panicking. The tech landscape today looks nothing like it did 10 years ago, and even the stuff I learned during my coding bootcamp three years back feels like it’s been updated with a patch note titled: "Welcome to AI augmented workflows." But that’s normal, technology always evolves.
Take Microsoft Excel, for example. Back when it first arrived, people thought bookkeepers and accountants were doomed. But instead of wiping them out, it streamlined processes and opened the door for accountants to do more analytical, high level work (Finding Clarity, 2023). The same thing happened with ATMs. Tellers didn’t vanish; they shifted to customer service and advisory roles (Kentuckiana Works, 2019). The pattern is clear: evolution, not extinction.
And this isn’t exclusive to tech. The food industry during the pandemic is another example. Restaurants had to completely pivot. The rise of QR code menus, ghost kitchens, drive-through-only models, and a surge in mobile app ordering became survival tools. According to The Washington Post, many restaurants now rely heavily on drive-thrus and digital platforms, reshaping how we experience dining and creating new job roles around delivery and tech support (Reiley, 2022). New problems, new solutions.
AI is no different. ChatGPT or any LLM isn’t erasing us from the equation. It’s a tool that still needs human oversight. Someone has to check the hallucinations, understand the context, and fine tune the output. That’s where we come in, with soft skills like attention to detail, adaptability, and the ability to think independently still front and center.
So no, I’m not afraid for my future in tech. I’m building that future with the right mindset and a responsible use of tools like AI. And as a student, I’m committed to continuing this balance—leveraging AI thoughtfully while staying grounded in the fundamentals of learning. As a student, I’m fully aware of the importance of original work and critical thinking, and AI is just one of many tools that helps me refine—not replace—my work. The industry isn’t shrinking; it’s shifting. AI might be a powerful co-pilot, but the human touch is still flying this thing.
Adapt or get left behind, but don’t forget, we’ve been adapting all along.
References:
- Finding Clarity. (2023, April 3). Why excelling at Excel is important for your accounting job. Retrieved from https://findingclarity.ca/blog/why-excelling-at-excel-is-important-for-your-accounting-job/#:~:text=Excel%20offers%20users%20the%20ability
- Kentuckiana Works. (2019, April 3). What bank tellers can teach us about how automation will impact jobs. Retrieved from https://www.kentuckianaworks.org/news/2019/4/3/what-bank-tellers-can-teach-us-about-how-automation-will-impact-jobs
- Reiley, L. (2022, December 26). How the pandemic altered the restaurant industry forever. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2022/12/26/restaurant-changes-pandemic/
- The San Francisco Chronicle. (2024, March 19). AI doesn’t shortchange learning. It enhances it. Retrieved from https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/ai-education-20168638.php
- Wired. (2024). How software engineers actually use AI. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/story/how-software-engineers-coders-actually-use-ai