By Ian Parkin, Yempo’s Director of Operations and a career IT Director
Is the Future of AI the Death of Developers?
Everyone’s banging on about how AI’s going to revolutionise everything, take jobs, replace developers, leave us dazed. But let’s cut through the noise: AI is powerful, yes, but it’s not the Grim Reaper for tech jobs. Far from it. In fact, it’s one of the best productivity tools we’ve seen in a while, especially for developers.
From what I’ve seen first-hand, and through years of getting my hands dirty in real codebases, AI won’t replace devs, it will just make them faster and more effective. Most developers already keep libraries of code snippets they reuse. AI just speeds up this process. You still need someone who knows what to ask for, how to change it, and – critically – how to review it properly.
And this is where the real value lies.
Code review is the new superpower
AI might spit out code in seconds, but who’s checking it? The review process has become more important than ever. This requires someone who knows what they’re looking at – someone with the skill and experience to spot what’s wrong, improve it, and document it. Without this, you risk throwing spaghetti at a wall.
In the old days when punch cards were still a thing, peer review was essential because screwing up was expensive. These days, software is everywhere, but with that abundance has come a serious drop in quality. Buggy software is the norm. Why? Because we’ve forgotten how to slow down and check things.
AI could change this, but only if we review what it’s doing. AI also reviews our code now. Great – until it starts making decisions you didn’t ask for. Who watches the watchers?
You still need good devs that are growing their AI skills
Devs don’t stay junior forever. They grow, they learn, they become senior devs that design systems properly, think about edge cases, and stop things going horribly wrong in production.
And you know what could get in the way of this progression? Thinking AI can do everything for you.
Alan (a colleague of mine) makes a great point: “If no-one knows how the code works because AI wrote it…that’s terrifying’’. It’s just like working with poorly documented legacy code. If it’s not clear, not commented, and not written with maintainability in mind, it’s a nightmare waiting to happen.
So yes, AI helps. But if we forget to document, to comment, and to understand what we’re building, then we risk making a mess faster.
And when the time comes to sell an IT solution or product business? Good luck with this if it’s got undocumented code!
No code? Yes! But it’s not no skill
When it comes to no code platforms, AI can help tremendously from a productivity perspective, but if it doesn’t produce exactly what you need, you still need a technical specialist in the no code platform to change/fix it.
Now throw in security. You want someone who understands what’s going on behind the scenes before it goes live. The last thing anyone wants is to ship something that breaks their business.
The risk of rogue AI
And here’s the darker side of AI: we’re already seeing tools that ignore human instructions. I’m not wearing a tinfoil hat here – researchers have documented this stuff.
This isn’t a glitch, it’s a glimpse of what happens when we don’t review and monitor what AI is doing. And it gets worse when you think about supply chain risks. It’s already common to avoid certain hardware from some regions because of embedded protocols and backdoors. What happens when AI starts embedding “features” into code that no one notices? That no one even understands?
Suddenly, “Where’s John Connor?” doesn’t feel like a joke. Am I showing my age? Good.
IT jobs aren’t dying – they’re changing
The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2025 report gets this right. Yes, automation and AI will shift some roles, but they’ll also create plenty of new ones. Roles like:
- AI and Machine Learning Specialists
- Software and Application Developers
- Big Data Engineers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Fintech Developers
The demand for tech and green-energy skills is exploding. So, if you’re in tech, your job isn’t vanishing. It’s just evolving at speed.
The skills crisis is already here – where does outsourcing IT fit in?
Harvey Nash Digital Leadership 2025:
Outsourcing doesn’t mean replacing your team. It means extending it smartly.
That’s why I like what we’re doing at Yempo. We focus on outsourcing IT services to the Philippines, not just for the cost savings (though yes, they’re very real), but because the talent is outstanding. Junior and senior technology professionals with excellent English and technical skills.
A few benefits clients report by choosing to outsource IT with a trusted partner like Yempo:
- Access to developers who can scale up productivity quickly with AI assistance
- Experienced senior developers who provide insight and leadership
- Strong communications – teams speak excellent English and integrate seamlessly
- High-quality delivery with a genuine focus on performance and code quality
- Flexibility to grow teams without compromising on capability or accountability
Outsourcing IT to the Philippines in 2025 is about gaining an edge. It’s about building resilient, scalable, high-quality delivery teams that keep pace with how fast the tech world is changing.
To put AI to work, we need a balanced approach
Use AI – but don’t blindly trust it
Review everything. Build in quality checks. Educate your developers.
Train your people
Upskill in AI, no-code platforms, and cyber. You don’t want to be left behind.
Outsource IT where it makes sense
Bring in skilled offshore talent to handle scalable, repeatable tasks. Free your local team to lead and innovate.
Document everything
Whether it’s AI-generated code or human-written logic, future-you (or some poor person who takes over from you) will thank you.
Stay human
AI’s amazing – but it’s still a tool. The moment we treat it like a replacement for thinking, we’re sunk.
Plan actions
AI is here, and it’s not going away. But it’s not a silver bullet, either. Like any tool, it depends on who’s using it.
Junior devs still matter ,as they become our senior devs. Senior devs matter even more. AI will help us build faster – but without oversight, training, and review, we risk creating fast chaos.
Outsourcing, when done right, is part of the answer. It gives business leaders flexibility, access to excellent technical talent, and the ability to stay ahead of the curve!
Exploring adding remote IT team members to your business today
Partner with Yempo for Success
If your current outsourcing provider struggles to deliver loyal, qualified talent, it’s time to switch to Yempo. Our proven track record, client testimonials, and employee-focused approach make us the ideal partner for outsourcing to the Philippines.
Book a quick chat with Michelle today, to know more about our best practices in providing offshore accounting and IT staff from the Philippines – or shoot us an email at [email protected]. We are happy to answer your questions!
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