The "first victim" of AI: the traditional programmer
A few years ago it was unthinkable that programmers would suffer the impact of artificial intelligence in their own flesh. However, the figures are devastating: job offers for programmers in Spain have fallen from 7.9% to 5.4% in three years, which represents a collapse of 31%. This statistics , taken from official analyses in the European Union, leads us to ask whether we are facing the AI's first victims . At the same time, in the United States, a 11% drop in programmer employment over the next decade (about 147,000 fewer jobs). These data are the first after years of bonanza in the technology sector, suddenly the Programming Talent it seems less in demand. Does this mean that we have reached the end of the golden age of the programmer? Or does it rather indicate a paradigm shift in how we apply technology in business?
To understand this phenomenon, let's remember the context. The introduction of Generative AI how ChatGPT In 2022 it generated both enthusiasm and concern. Many people predicted that millions of jobs would be rendered obsolete by intelligent automation. The irony is that, for now, the most tangible negative impact is observed precisely in roles specialized in developing technology. The traditional programmer, focused only on writing code , is helpless in the face of a reality: AI is capable of generating basic code, and companies are learning to do more with fewer developers. But make no mistake; Just because demand is changing doesn't mean technology is less important. On the contrary, we are facing a profound transformation of priorities in technological projects.
A paradigm shift: from building to designing solutions
What we are experiencing is not the death of the figure of the programmer, but its evolution. Historically, success in technology was measured in how many lines of code could be written or how many proprietary systems could be built from scratch. In that old perspective, more programming equaled more value. Today, that paradigm is being replaced by another in which The focus shifts from construction to strategic solution conception .
What does this mean? That the value no longer lies in programming everything yourself, but in Know what to schedule and what not to schedule . Leading organizations have found that it doesn't make sense to "reinvent the wheel" over and over again. Instead of assigning dozens of developers to create functionality that already exists on the market (either as open source software, service SaaS or pre-built module), are choosing to integrate those proven solutions. The time freed up is invested in designing a solid technology architecture and customizing the tools to fit the business strategy.
Let's imagine two companies with the same need: to implement an e-commerce platform. A company decides to develop its own eCommerce from scratch, mobilizing its team of programmers for months to write each line of code. Its competitor, on the other hand, spends those first few weeks Research and Plan : Evaluate existing solutions, compare vendors, consider no-code or low-code platforms, and select the one that best aligns with your business model. In a few months, the second has its online store up and running through a fine-tuned and tested solution, while the first company continues to debug code from its custom development. After a year, the competitive advantage is clear: the second was able to focus on marketing, customer experience and training of its team, while the person spent much of its energy on building something that may not even reach the level of the tools already available.
The learning from this story (which we see reflected in many real cases) is evident. Success doesn't depend on how much technology you create, but on how smartly you leverage it . And leveraging it intelligently requires a prior strategic vision, rather than raw programming muscle.
Technology automates technology: when code writes itself
Another centerpiece of this paradigm shift is the maturity of technologies that automate traditionally technical tasks. The artificial intelligence and the automation They are not only affecting software development; Its influence extends to many professional fields. In fact, the case of programmers is just one more example of a general trend: Technology is automating routine technological and creative work .
Let's look at marketing, for example. By 2024, traditional advertising agencies in the U.S. have cut about 5% of their employees, something attributed in part to a significant decline in revenue in conventional marketing. The cause? The rapid adoption of digital and automated tools that have replaced traditional methods. Profiles such as graphic designers, copywriters and community managers are seeing how part of their tasks are taken over by a machine . In the United States, 4% of graphic design jobs have already disappeared, replaced by generative AI capable of producing high-quality images in seconds. It is estimated that a 63% of content written in 2024 will be generated with artificial intelligence , displacing the traditional copywriter towards more specialized functions. Similarly, near 47% of social media management work (from scheduling posts to analyzing metrics) is already done in an automated way with algorithms and bots.
These numbers reflect a blunt fact: many tasks repetitive or standardized – whether they are programming, marketing or any area – can be executed by automated systems with minimal human intervention. Tools No-code and low-code They allow users without deep technical knowledge to configure applications and workflows. Video desktop publishing platforms, to cite another case, are growing at rates of 20% per year, making it easier for software to do it in seconds according to intelligent templates instead of a human video editor making cuts and transitions.
Faced with this panorama, some people react with fear: "technology is taking away our work ”. But that reading falls short. What is really happening is a Redefining roles . Manual, repetitive or purely technical tasks are losing weight, while strategic, creative and high value-added functions that they can't be automated as easily . The Developer that used to spend hours chipping boilerplate code can now delegate those parts to an AI, and spend their time refining the architecture, ensuring quality, or thinking about how that piece of software fits into the overall product. Similarly, the marketer who used to spend a large part of their day generating metrics reports can automate them and focus on coming up with more innovative campaigns.
In short, technology is Rewriting Your Own Rules : Create efficiency by automating what can be automated, so that human professionals can focus on where we really add value. But to achieve that, a change of mentality is needed and, above all, a clear strategy.
Technology and People Strategy: The Approach That Makes the Difference
If automation and AI are transforming so many industries, what is the common factor in organizations that manage to adapt successfully? The answer, from our experience, lies in putting strategy (and people) ahead of technology. This may sound paradoxical in a world obsessed with the latest in programming tools and languages. But time and time again we see that The key is not the technology alone, but how we align it with the business and with those who carry it forward .
At Proportione, we have this concept in our DNA. We have found that a Well-designed technology and people strategy It acts as a compass in digital transformation. What does this mean in practice? On the one hand, it means deeply understanding the goals of the business and the capabilities of the human team before deciding which technology to adopt. On the other hand, it involves selecting technological tools not for their fame or novelty, but for their fit with the organization and for the speed with which our staff can assimilate them.
A strategic people-centric approach starts by involving employees from the start. After all, they are the ones who will use any new system. There's no point in implementing the most powerful platform if the team doesn't understand it or integrate it into their day-to-day work. Successful companies spend time Train your people , to create a culture open to change and experimentation with new technologies. This human factor is what accelerates adoption and multiplies the impact of digital investments. In fact, many technology initiatives fail not because of failures of the tool itself, but because of a lack of alignment with the company's processes and people.
In addition, technology and people strategy involves having a Overview . It's like conducting an orchestra: it's not about showing off with solos of an instrument (for example, developing the most striking mobile application isolated from the rest), but about ensuring that all the components (technological and human) sound coordinated. Sometimes the best strategic decision is Not developing A certain element internally, but integrate it from a reliable external provider, so that we can focus our resources on those areas where we can differentiate ourselves. Other times, the strategy involves retraining staff in new digital skills to take advantage of a recently adopted tool. Each organization will have different answers, but the common thread is the deliberate pursuit of the tuning between technology and people.
It should be noted that the large strategic consulting firms and the most prestigious business schools are fully aware of this need. There is more and more talk of Hybrid profiles : professionals who combine technical knowledge with business understanding and interpersonal skills. They are the ones who can translate the potential of a new technology into concrete results for their company, guiding their teams along the way. It is no coincidence that in global surveys, more than two-thirds of managers state that there is a digital skills gap in their workforce. They are looking for leaders who can integrate AI, automation, and business strategies, and those leaders emerge when technology is no longer seen as an end in itself and becomes part of a people-centric strategy.
From developer to strategic integrator: the new role of the technology professional
Let's go back to the initial protagonist of our story: the programmer. Is it destined to disappear? Not at all. What we are seeing is his reinvention . The cutting-edge technology professional is no longer defined only by how many programming languages he or she masters, but by his or her ability to Integrate solutions and to contribute to the company's strategy, there is even talk of the Tamer of technologies . Instead of just being a code runner, it becomes a architect and orchestrator of technology.
In practice, this means that today's developer must know how to evaluate different options: Do we build a solution from scratch or do we use an existing platform? Do we automate this part of the process with a script or do we take advantage of an AI API that gives us the result? How do I ensure that this new "X" tool connects well with our "Y" system and that users find it useful? These questions may not even be part of a typical programmer's job before, focused on a specific technical requirement. They are now an essential part of their day-to-day life. Programmer moves from keyboard to design table , working side-by-side with business analysts, user experience designers, and product leaders. Their input is critical to making the final solution not only work technically, but also make sense in the context of the business.
Of course, strong technical skills are still indispensable. We will always need experts who understand the details of security, performance, data architecture, etc. But even those experts need to broaden their vision. An outstanding software architect also understands the implications of their decisions on costs, timelines, and end-user value. A brilliant data engineer knows that there's no point in implementing the most sophisticated pipeline if marketers don't understand the resulting reports. In other words, the tech talent of the future must speak Two languages : technological and business. And you also need to understand the people who use the technology, whether they're employees or customers.
Adopting this role of strategic integrator is not only beneficial for the company; It's also the best way for tech professionals to get Protect against automation . What a developer does mechanically and without context will probably end up being done by an artificial intelligence trained for it. But the ability to solve complex problems, to adapt a generic solution to a particular case, to innovate when there is no previous pattern... that continues and will continue to be human territory. The programmer who embraces this approach will rely on AI as a ally (e.g., using automated coding assistants for routine tasks) and devote their energies to what no machine can do alone: understand, imagine, and lead real changes in the organization through technology.
Time spent on strategy is never wasted time
The headlines that advertise "The fall of the programmers" or "the first victims of AI" they can generate anguish, but deep down they bring a message of necessary change. We are experiencing a transition in which ceasing to value the quantity of code and starting to value the quality of vision becomes essential. In this new ecosystem, The time we spend thinking, planning, and aligning technology with the business and people will never be wasted time . What's more, it's probably the most profitable investment a company (and a professional) can make today.
Yes, it can be tempting to jump in and code an immediate solution to show tangible progress. But if that solution isn't on the right track strategically, then you'll pay a much higher cost in rework, poor adoption, or missed opportunities. On the contrary, when one curbs the initial impulse to "do for the sake of doing" and wonders "What's the best way to solve this problem?" , opens the door to smarter approaches. You may find that already exists that solution and it just has to be adapted. Or that it's worth simplifying the process instead of automating it as it is. Or that before implementing a new tool, the team must be prepared to take advantage of it. All of that is part of the strategy. And that's the kind of thinking that distinguishes the organizations and people who will lead the next decade.
In conclusion, we are not facing the end of technology, far from it. We are facing the end of a way of working with technology. Fewer hours of typing and more hours of whiteboarding and conversation. Less obsession with the output immediate technician and more attention to the Outcome long-term strategic strategy. Less reinvention of the wheel and more leveraging the best that already exists to make something new and valuable. The emerging era will reward those who know Design smartly Before building, to those who put people at the center of digital transformation, and to those who understand that the purpose of technology is not to type code non-stop, but to drive business and society forward. That's the new strategy – and it's definitely the way forward.