AI Isn’t Replacing Curious Developers

AI Isn’t Replacing Curious Developers

From Data Engineering Central Podcast by Data Engineering in Real Life

May 6, 2026 · 1h 4m

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving role of AI in software development and its implications for developers.

AI isn’t just changing how we write code. It’s changing what it even means to build software. In this episode of the Data Engineering Central Podcast, I sit down with Neil Roberts — a developer who’s been through every major wave of the web, from BASIC on an Atari to modern TypeScript, and now deep into LLMs and agentic workflows. This is not another surface-level “AI will change everything” conversation. We get into what is actually happening right now, where it works, where it completely breaks, and what developers are getting wrong. * We talk about why front-end and UX matter more than ever in an AI world, why most people misunderstand agents, and what real day-to-day workflows with LLMs actually look like. * There’s also a hard look at who benefits from AI, who falls behind, and whether we are quietly building fragile systems that we don’t fully understand. If you’re a developer trying to figure out where this is all going, this is one of those conversations worth paying attention to. Data Engineering Central is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Expect to learn: * Why AI is as much a UX…

People in this episode

Host: Data Engineering in Real Life

Guest: Neil Roberts

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Data Engineering Central

Products: TypeScript, LLMs, BASIC

Places: Atari

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