Being a Systems guy, I don’t really know much about ML and AI. In my attempt to keep up, I’m trying to draft off the best that I know of. Andrew Ng is a legend, so I’m subscribed to his newsletter “The Batch”. The most recent edition, entitled Meet The New Breed of GenAI Application Engineers neatly summarizes a lot of what’s going on beyond the various echo chambers:
There’s a new breed of GenAI Application Engineers who can build more-powerful applications faster than was possible before, thanks to generative AI. Individuals who can play this role are highly sought-after by businesses, but the job description is still coming into focus. Let me describe their key skills, as well as the sorts of interview questions I use to identify them.
Skilled GenAI Application Engineers meet two primary criteria: (i) They are able to use the new AI building blocks to quickly build powerful applications. (ii) They are able to use AI assistance to carry out rapid engineering, building software systems in dramatically less time than was possible before. In addition, good product/design instincts are a significant bonus.
About two years ago, I would have been one to scoff at the notion of AI Engineers, thinking them as overblown prompt tweakers and API cobblers. I’ve come around because of two major shifts.
First, systematically, robustly, and safely building capabilities on top of LLMs really does require engineering. We’ve moved past the point of just bolting a chat window into an app and calling it a day. Compound AI systems (Go Bears!) with agentic components are a whole new ballgame.
Second, the shape and quality of system building is changing. The baseline velocity of software development is going up. Vibe coding may lead to crap applications but there are enough folks doing the required experimentation to lead to better outcomes. Still have concerns about the security, ops, and maintenance aspects but those become worthy avenues to provide value.
If you click through on Ng’s newsletter, that list of AI building blocks is daunting. Good taste on which of them to early adopt, lag, and deep dive will be another defining skill. As always, those who can discern the enduring qualities will be well positioned.