Why Faster AI Coding Can Mean Harder Engineering
InfoWorld, Tuesday, September 29th, 2026
Matt Asay argues AI coding agents make engineering faster but more demanding, so companies shouldn't cut expertise.
Building on Simon Willison's observation that coding agents make software engineering harder, Matt Asay argues that faster implementation does not create spare human capacity.
Getting value from agents requires discipline and deep knowledge to separate correct output from plausible nonsense, and practitioners describe the work as taxing, so teams may deliver more while the work becomes more demanding.
Asay warns companies against budgeting as if AI has given them both a larger road map and a reduced need for engineering expertise.