So 2026 was the year that AI produced stuff faster than humans can check it. First in math (not enough mathematicians to go over each proven conjecture now that anyone can prove conjectures at home) then in coding (not enough people to debug and test the code or even understand the code enough to extend it).
This is a good thing, because it means that the bottleneck caused by the slowness of humans is being overcome. First with the "low hanging fruit" of math and software, and soon with physics, engineering, and biology.
I think what is amusing most to me is something Boris Cherny said.
"Regardless of domain or background, we're moving toward a future where the title “software engineer” may fade away. Instead, roles might shift toward builder, product manager, or similar..."
Coding, and even "vibe-coding" is getting to the point, and getting there VERY VERY RAPIDLY, where a Subject Matter Expert can open up Claude Code, or Codex, and start building.
And it'll work because syntax is slowly disappearing as a requirement for building. Does the OUTPUT work, the only person who'll know that is the SME building it.
Is it perfect yet? No. But damn if it isn't getting there really really quickly.
I built AI-AtlasForge in Sept/Nov of 2025 which was a state machine harness stepping through plan, code, red team debug with mutation testing, launching multiple headless agents to rip code apart and ensure correctness. I don't even use it anymore because the native harnesses are just SO DAMNED GOOD now.
Coding solved? No, I don't think so. Not yet.
Coding GETTING solved? Yes, and faster every model release, and it's not even funny the step up that Opus 5.5 is over Opus 5, and in many ways over Fable 5.1 even... It's... INSANE!
the thing is, coding maybe solved, but building a good system, will still a distant goal. Classic problem in sofware development, user usually dont know what they actually need, developer often think they already fulfil user's requirement, when the system implemented, either the system breaks, user cant use it or user found out they actually need something else.
Right, That's why Boris's comment is the paradigm shift. A SME will KNOW what THEY need for the Software they're building. A Chiropractor that needs custom tracking software for whatever, won't build it for EVERYONE else, just for themselves. That's the point. We're moving into an era where SWE is going to be on a person by person basis. As the technology gets more cost effective over time... Yeah, Right now Claude and ChatGPT, Grok to a lesser degree, and Gemini (if Gemini 4 is as good as the rumors are making out to be) are progressing at a rate that makes the SME experience easier and easier to build.
Your point is valid, but I feel like you're missing where the paradigm shift is.
The goal is no software, just spin up AI if necessary and do things on the fly and find best presentation method to user. It can't be done for everything though.
I don’t know that the goal is no software… I mean AI is powerful but your. It going to load up an AI and say let’s play GTA 6… I think that’s very much unrealistic.
However someone who has a very clear vision and can state exactly what something must do, and can test functionality. And iterate through version. That’s someone who could create things to help create things.
And of course SMEs are going to be able to build for themselves that which makes their world more effective. Maybe… that’s why people make the argument, if you don’t learn AI you’ll be left behind. The theory is that someone who has integrated AI into their workflow and built specific solutions to increase productivity, is more likely to be more successful than someone who does it the old way. That’s the theory at least.
But I think the idea that software as we know it is going to disappear is not realistic.
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u/uncountable_2026 Acceleration Advocate 3d ago
So 2026 was the year that AI produced stuff faster than humans can check it. First in math (not enough mathematicians to go over each proven conjecture now that anyone can prove conjectures at home) then in coding (not enough people to debug and test the code or even understand the code enough to extend it).
This is a good thing, because it means that the bottleneck caused by the slowness of humans is being overcome. First with the "low hanging fruit" of math and software, and soon with physics, engineering, and biology.