How Will We Train Developers If AI Does the Routine Work: A Conversation with Scott Hanselman

In this podcast Michael Stiefel spoke to Scott Hanselman about developing new software engineers when artificial intelligence agents are doing most of the work on which junior developers were trained. Hanselman suggests the software industry should adopt a preceptorship model similar to the nursing profession. Under this model, the industry needs preceptors whose sole job is to train new engineers, and these preceptors would be evaluated on how well they train people rather than how much code they ship. The use of AI agents requires experienced engineers because while they are capable of generating software features, they perform poorly at software architecture because they often miss the larger context. In addition, engineers must maintain oversight of artificial intelligence tools by acting as reviewers and coordinators to ensure that human judgment remains central to the development process. The conversation then broadened to discuss the environment in which agentic AI should be used. When businesses prioritize short term, hyper-optimization, they neglect the longer term investments in human capital and mentorship which will make it impossible to cultivate future senior talent. Beyond that, Hanselman addressed the sociological impacts of modern development, observing that the intersection of remote work, social media, and artificial intelligence severely isolates developers. To counter this isolation and ensure healthy growth, intentional human connection and in-person interactions are vital for the next generation of users and developers of technology. Read a transcript of this interview: https://bit.ly/4ydBK0H Newsletter: Subscribe to the Software Architects' Newsletter, a monthly roundup of the patterns and technologies senior practitioners are working through, with the news and lessons from people doing the work: https://www.infoq.com/software-architects-newsletter InfoQ Online Certification Programs: 5-week online cohorts for senior engineers and architects, built around QCon talks. Programs now cover software architecture, AI engineering, and organizational architecture. Each week you join a four-hour live session with a confidential peer group of practitioners from other companies, apply frameworks from QCon talks to the decisions you're making at work, and earn an InfoQ certification. You leave with new approaches, or confirmation that the calls you're already making are the right ones. Learn more: https://certification.qconferences.com/ Upcoming Events: QCon San Francisco 2026 (November 16-20, 2026) https://qconsf.com/ QCon London 2027 (April 13-16, 2027) https://qconlondon.com/ The InfoQ Podcasts: Weekly conversations with senior software leaders about how they build systems and teams, including what they'd do differently. Listen to all our podcasts and read interview transcripts: The InfoQ Podcast: https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/ Engineering Culture Podcast by InfoQ: https://www.infoq.com/podcasts/#engineering_culture Generally AI: https://www.infoq.com/generally-ai-podcast/ Follow InfoQ: Mastodon: https://techhub.social/@infoq X: https://x.com/InfoQ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/infoq/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InfoQdotcom Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/infoqdotcom/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/infoq Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/infoq.com Write for InfoQ: Share what you've learned building software with a community of senior practitioners, and get your work in front of the people who read InfoQ. https://www.infoq.com/write-for-infoq