People who don’t code are bound to think that AI will eliminate coding jobs. Coding in a programming language is expressing a machine precise specification for how to do something. Asking an AI to output that expression is an act of programming, such that the prompt(s) need to capture a near machine-precise specification of what needs to be done. That is coding, except in natural language.

A great deal of software engineering is requirements analysis and design, which is understanding the problem space and the solution approach, so that it can be captured in natural language and diagrams. These are necessary today for many people (management, document writers, support staff, marketing staff, sales staff, customers, end users, and fellow coders) to gain a common understanding and execute a plan as a cohesive team. Capturing a vision, goals, a plan, a design, and all of the nitty gritty details to fully specify the user experience are just coding, even if expressed for an audience that is human. Indeed, even when AI takes over the full responsibilities of generating the machine code, we still need coders to do all of that. Perhaps the burden can be eased to a degree, as toil and drudgery are automated further by AI (i.e., generating designs based on archetypes and patterns when prompted by compact terms of art known to coding experts). This is still coding.

Ask a non-coder to write out the precise steps in English for how to tie one’s shoes. How many people can do so correctly enough to teach a naive robot to accomplish that task? Surprisingly few. That’s coding. That skill does not become obsolete because of AI.