GenAI: The cheap plastic revolution for software

tldr;

AI generated software will be like cheap plastic. Ubiquitous, versatile, breaks easily but gets the job done mostly

Before the plastic revolution

Before the invention of plastic a lot of our life was surrounded by either wood, metal, leaves or animal fat! Coffee in cans, metal boxes, wooden combs, chairs, tables, toys you name it. Look around yourself, most of the stuff if plastic now was probably wood, metal or didn’t even exist. We will come back to the didn’t exist part.

The rich were proud of their crafty furniture. Poor had to get by with something else. Abundance was limited. You either get by with a poor man’s version of furniture, toys or don’t get it all. There was a huge need unfulfilled.

Plastic everywhere!

After the plastic revolution, a lot of unmet needs were fulfilled at a dramatic place. Chairs, tables, toys, boxes became suddenly accessible to millions of people.

Plastic has/had durability issues. It can break easily in some cases. It didn’t have the beauty or craftmanship of woodwork. But you can get that weave look and wood color so who cares right?!

That is what is happening to software! You are going to get flooded with a lot of cheap software. It will do the job. Yes, it will break when some heavy stands on it! But it will make software accessible to Billions of people at a cheap cost.

Now just like plastic pollution, will there be a cheap software pollution? Ofcourse, this time around it will be in our minds. AI generated images, videos, workflows will occupy our mind and pollute us!