I would disagree that there is no thinking. I think a strong understanding of the fundamentals of coding are still wildly important to get good quality code, and a big part of that is thinking or reasoning through a particular problem. It’s just now we have a way of using common language in order for that to happen instead of having to learn or keep up with every new tool and framework in order to do so. The new programming language is just in your native tongue.
I’m not a full time dev, but I code quite a bit doing Systems and OPs stuff, but AI has opened up an entirely new world to me and it has expanded my ability to think through a problem. It’s the ultimate rubber ducky. I love to watch the reasoning process while I’m in opencode so I can interrupt if I see it going down a path that doesn’t make sense.
It’s opened another world to me that allows me to implement ideas I’ve had for years without the time to invest in the skills needed to even try the idea.
I think it’s just how you use the tool.
I don’t mean to imply that making things with these tools is lesser, or that it doesn’t require some skill, but it is fundamentally different to programming. I’m glad you’re able to bring new things to life with these tools, that’s a great thing :)
My broader philosophical take is that we, programmers, lived through a golden age where our skills used on our terms were some of the most valuable skills. The golden age is over, our skills aren’t useless, they can still be applied to making things with modern tools, but it is no longer on our terms, no longer programming, no longer the meditative thinking process it once was.
For non-programmers, this is their golden age, the reign of programmer tyranny is over.
I'd argue that this is the golden age for consultants.
The old equation was several expensive programmers per project. The new equation is a clown with a token budget plus an expensive rescue operation. In either case, the project will still be late, and it'll cost roughly the same.