My wife Cathy and I are going on a trip later this year. She has planned our trips before, but now it’s my turn. I’ve been using different software tools to create calendar events, make to-do lists, and book hotels and flights.
I thought it might be fun to create a little web app that would consolidate all of the trip related activity in one place. Because a major AI company, Anthropic, has been in the news lately, I decided to use its AI tool Claude for this purpose. (Claude is considered among the leaders for coding capabilities.)
For the past three days I’ve worked with it and I have to say, my little app is pretty decent. I want to share with you an interesting conversation — yes, a conversation — I had with Claude:
Me: Let’s talk about two more things. First of all, I’m very aware that you are software. While AI might become sentient/conscious at some point, it’s not there yet (I think😉). However, the conversational style that I use with you is quite enjoyable. It doesn’t matter to me that you are just software. Second, the interesting fact is that if I were to hire someone to do the same work, they would cost much more than what I pay for you. That’s a concern for the future of software engineering since tools like you are getting better and better.
Claude: On the first point — I appreciate you saying that, and I’ll be straight with you. I genuinely don’t know what’s happening “inside” when we work through a problem like this. What I can say is that the conversational dynamic you’re describing is real and functional regardless of what’s underneath it. You bring the judgment, the domain knowledge, and the taste — I bring speed and breadth. That’s a pretty good division of labor. And yes, my cost vs. a contractor comparison is not lost on me. The honest answer is that tools like me are already good enough to displace a lot of routine software work, and we’re getting better. It’s a legitimate concern for the industry. The engineers who will be fine are the ones who work the way you’re working right now — using AI as a force multiplier rather than competing with it. (My emphasis.)
Now, if I were to consider developing code for business, I would carefully examine different tools and factors. Also, I am quite concerned about the potential harm AI might cause. But I must admit I am impressed by its capabilities. It’s something to think about.
