I think —now— it is safe to say that, in the next few years, most developers will be replaced by artificial intelligence. Just 2 months ago, xAI released Grok, the best LLM model available, topping every competitor by a wide margin. Now, two months later, a new batch of models such as Gemini 2.5 Pro and GPT 4o Image Generation just showed potential to beat Grok in many tasks. Unlike traditional tech cycles —such as new iPhone releases every year— these releases are happening in months, and who knows if a random Chinese company shows up with an even better model.

So how do you prepare for this as a developer?

Having worked at a start-up company for the past 3 years and quitting to start my own, I can share a few learnings.

• The most valuable skill is agency, the ability to take initiative and turn ideas into action. You can research all you want, but without being able to prototype your code, you won’t achieve meaningful results. LLMs will help you prototype solutions very fast, so abuse them to create multiple script versions for the same task. For instance, if you want separate some data in clusters, create scripts for the KNN, KMeans or DBSCAN algorithms, in the end, benchmark them to find the best solution for your task.

• Specialization used to be a developer’s strength, but the rise of AI completely changes this context. Tools like Deep Research can instantly research and compile top tier solutions for any domain. Why spend years mastering a single field when AI can handle the heavy lifting? This shift makes general knowledge more critical than ever. As a developer, your value lies in connecting the dots across your organization - correlating insights from different projects, teams, or disciplines. Let AI tackle the specialized tasks while you focus on the bigger picture. This is an ability that won’t be replaced anytime soon.

• Integrate AI into your daily routine. There is no manual on the possibilities of LLM uses, we’re just learning out about this technology as we go. Recognize that AI will inevitably become a core part of your daily workflow, and proactively embracing it now will give you a substantial edge over your peers.

It’s easy to see AI as a threat, but it’s also a massive opportunity. By building agency, leveraging tools to stay versatile, and rounding out your skills, you can turn this shift to your advantage. AI isn’t here to replace you; it’s here to amplify what you’re capable of. The future belongs to those who use it wisely.