Let AI Write Itself Out of a Job.

As someone who started coding in the early ’90s, I grew up with an optimistic model of technological progress: we would continue building better layers of abstraction until software could be written at a high enough level that the mechanics no longer created unnecessary mental friction.

I still believe that is the right model.

I have no problem with people using AI to write code, but I cannot help thinking that we may be missing the real opportunity these tools provide. Reducing complexity should not mean inserting an incredibly expensive layer that must always remain in the loop. AI does not need to become a permanent fixture inside every application.

That is one reason Crash BASIC will never offer a vibe-coding layer.

We should instead use AI’s power to create tools that work better with human brains. Many of the things we struggle with are not fundamental creative problems; they are simply the mechanics of a particular craft. It has become nearly impossible for one person to keep up with every API, design pattern, platform requirement, and implementation quirk. That is the gap AI is currently filling.

But if we are smart (and I believe we can be) we should let AI write itself out of a job.

Don’t like AI art? Great. Build tools that allow people to create visual art more easily without requiring generative AI.

Don’t like AI music? Great. Build tools that let people make amazing music without first requiring years of technical mastery.

I currently use both generative art and music tools, and I am actively working to reduce (and eventually eliminate) that need.

More importantly, once those tools exist, do not demean the people who use them. The instrument is not the achievement. The music is.

Find the pain points. Fix the pain points.

Don’t simply paper over them with AI.

That is all.