This article, “Something Big Is Happening” from Matt Shumer, is a practical take on the current state of AI, and it very closely describes how I’ve been feeling the last few months:

I am no longer needed for the actual technical work of my job. I describe what I want built, in plain English, and it just… appears. Not a rough draft I need to fix. The finished thing.

There’s some nuance here, but I generally agree with the sentiment. When given proper context, the models are now excellent coders.

This quick summary of “How fast this is actually moving” is also striking:

  • In 2022, AI couldn’t do basic arithmetic reliably. It would confidently tell you that 7 × 8 = 54.
  • By 2023, it could pass the bar exam.
  • By 2024, it could write working software and explain graduate-level science.
  • By late 2025, some of the best engineers in the world said they had handed over most of their coding work to AI.
  • On February 5th, 2026, new models arrived that made everything before them feel like a different era.

It might be too early to say if the Opus 4.6 and GPT 5.3 Codex releases in early Feb really belong on this list, but the new models are certainly impressive and the trajectory over the last 4 years is undeniable. The rest of the article touches on some practical considerations including “What this means for your job”, “What you should actually do” and “What I know”, which includes:

I know the next two to five years are going to be disorienting in ways most people aren’t prepared for. This is already happening in my world. It’s coming to yours.

I think I agree. The whole article is worth a read.

Update: If you prefer audio, Hard Fork discussed the article this week. Good nuanced take as usual.

<
Previous Post
Five Levels of AI-Assisted Development
>
Next Post
Agentic Pattern: First Run the Tests