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LLMs^[1] are a big thing right now, and I think it's safe to write that they have changed the landscape in almost every domain. As every big thing, they've divided people into groups. I was kind of struck by one specific subgroup, namely the one that says that now, with the advent of LLMs, they have lost their craft, there is no sense in writing code by hand now, or to program computers at all.

I have found those statements baffling, and not because I'm eager to choke everyone with premium tier of the newest LLM subscription, but because in my mind, this is simply not true. Yes, the LLMs have probably changed the landscape of computers forever, but why would I believe such things like above? Why, when I play chess, I don't care that a computer would probably do a better move than me? Not only that, I regularly consult a computer to get better at chess.

This is not my job of course, but if I love the craft nonetheless and I think that everyone who enjoy it too don't care about whether Stockfish is playing the game faster and better.

There have to be a reason for that feeling of loss, and there are probably multiple ones, but one angle I was thinking about is that people's self-image is highly coupled with their economic identity. The issue is even more pressing in the IT domain, where the money earning potential was enormous and to which entry level was lowered with the 2020 pandemic-era money infusion.

The high-earning potential that is, or was, inherent in this domain, together with the intellectually smart aura around programming and being a computer-whiz in general was a match made in heaven. Those things are very enviable, so in many minds, the binding was made: "I am a programmer/software developer".

For our brains, it makes sense to tie those things together. Especially when I start to lose interest in what I do, or my interests in a domain stop going along the way the market demands^[2]. In order to convince myself to keep going, it makes sense to think that I have to keep going because that's who I am, or because it's my passion, or because I have to pay for something, or because I want to give to society...

But because the bile have to get out the system somehow, many people complain or get cynical. It's fine for a moment, makes you feel better, but it's not sustainable, and the problem is to be found somewhere deeper within. How it should be resolved is way beyond the scope of this little piece, and I don't have clear answers myself, and even if I had, I would be sceptical to give them.

That all is not to say that I think the ongoing frenzy and the announced Second Coming shouldn't be curbed a little. I'm thankful to all the people that ring those wake-up calls to managers and startup owners that try to surf the tide. But I think that when you are old enough, you've seen it all. As the classic says "It all happened before, and will happen again", doesn't matter whether this is online pet shops, blockchain technology or LLMs.

When you decouple the image of yourself from your economic identity^[3], you may find out that you are free to do the things your way and don't have to listen to anybody. You can even say out loud that you don't find reading compiler output interesting anymore, or need a little break.

I will keep playing chess for now, because at this moment it's fun^[4]. I will let others generate social media posts, short movies and their overblown-with-comments programs. Yes, I will cringe a little and shed a tear for the resources that are literally being put on fire, but I have to put my oxygen mask first.

^ [1] I agree with the sentiment that "AI" is a marketing term and I use it only when i speak with non-technical people. If I use "AI" in this piece, I use it in the mainstream sense, but I'm aware that this is not intelligence per se.

^ [2] This might, of course, lead to burnout.

^ [3] It's not easy, but in most of the cases doable. I would say it's harder the older you are, both because you invested more time in building the image, and also because you might have dug yourself deeper into the economic hole.

^ [4] I'm aware that chess is not fun, it's a serious thing.