Let's face it. It is no longer a matter of "if" but "how" when it comes to integrating AI tools into your daily dev work.
Ever since AI becomes a real thing in IT, I felt myself trapped between contradictive and equally wrong positions. Some treat LLMs, GenAI and AgenticAI as a silver bullet that solves everything and allows single unskilled person to deliver work of entire IT department. Some are scared or they even hate AI because "it will take everyone's job" and/or "it will make us stupid". And others try to ignore to and to avoid it being convinced it is "useless" and they can work better without it. It feels difficult to navigate through the raging sea of such articles and social media posts.
Things are never as good as you wish and never as bad as you fear. This is what I tend to believe as a universal truth, sort of. It applies here as well.
As a senior dev, I don't fear AI will replace me. I don't mourn for doors being closed, I foresee new doors that are opening. In the worst-case scenario of being laid off by my current company, there are so many new possibilities!
I am also realistic enough to know it is never that easy. I already lived through "agile revolution" or "cloud revolution" and while some issues were addressed by then revolutionary approaches, others remained and even brand new emerged. The SW engineer's work is never done.
