This contribution was originally published in The Irish Times on May 27th 2026.

It is perhaps as exciting as it is challenging to be working in technology right now. As a senior software engineer with over a decade of experience working in big tech, I find myself grappling almost daily with the relentless pace of AI adoption and its impact on the future of our profession and society as a whole.

Where we were once encouraged to value the thoughtful craft of scalable software architecture, the mantra now is to delegate as much as possible to an AI agent.

The job for many has changed fundamentally in just a few years towards reviewing code written by a machine and co-ordinating dozens of parallel tasks while chasing ever-increasing productivity.

Few in the industry would deny just how groundbreaking these advancements have been or how much they can benefit our day-to-day work. However, many would quietly admit there is a degree of sunk-cost fallacy at play. By this I mean companies, having invested so heavily, now find themselves increasingly handcuffed to a handful of large corporations with rising operational costs and often uncertain returns.

Troubling ethical dilemmas also remain unanswered: unsustainable environmental impact, intellectual property concerns and risks around job security, especially for those just entering the workforce or in creative professions.

I remain hopeful we can find a healthy balance where innovation complements rather than replaces skilled professionals. It may not be the most fashionable point of view in my industry right now, but perhaps a little less is ultimately more.