Why value handmade?

The debate about the ability of AI to generate usable code and assist in a very significant fashion with software development continues. I've recognized a new critique recently in various articles or comments, and it has caused me to toss the idea around in my head for a few evenings now.

Like in the picture above I can recognize that the soap was produced through the effort of an individual, twine wrapping each bar cut with scissors, and each bow tied by hand. The cuts of the bars are uneven, the distribution of the additives inconsistent, and overall I get a sense of care that emanates from these bars.

Now apply this to software... when someone launches an open-source project and shares it with the world, there's often a certain feeling of understanding that the author put real time into it, holds real passion for their craft, and is deeply proud of what they've built.

When producing a piece of software with AI, I've personally felt excited about seeing an idea come to life quickly, and I may have a bit of pride in relation to the idea – but the pride in the software itself is not present. To have pride in the software that an AI built would be dishonest. I think this shifting of development effort from the code itself to the idea can be seen as cheapening the value of the result.

The barrier to execution has been lowered. The base value has been shifted to the idea. And now the ease at which an idea is realized has become an obstacle to expressing its value.

It has long been touted that with AI software development efforts will shift towards the definition of requirements and to some extent the high-level architecture of the solution, while the AI agents handle the production of the code itself.

In the future, I believe the software world will begin to advertise "No AI Used" or "All Natural Development" to differentiate between releases that are crafted with care and passion by hand, and those that are produced through AI agents and automation.

While AI development is lowering the bar for ideas to become reality (a good thing) we'll see the emergence of the "hand-made" class of products. Similar to how modern machinery allows for mass produced kitchen tables and chairs at discount prices, the hand-made sets from the Amish or other woodworking masters demand a premium. At the end of the day I do believe there's something distinctly human about the act of creation that is cheapened with each introduction of machinery and technology to remove the burden of creation.

Ultimately, overcoming the burden is what acts as a value multiplier to the idea itself.

🤖 AIL LEVELS: This content’s AI Influence Levels are AIL1 for the writing, and AIL0 for the images. AI Influence Level (AIL) framework