I kind of agree, and I kind of don't. Yes, cultivating contributors is the right priority. But I see AI as an assistive technology. Like a screen reader, or a magnifying glass, though obviously also unlike.
Think of it like a robotic exoskeleton. It will be used to let people do bad things, and stupid things, but it will also be used to help people who otherwise couldn't do things do good things, or become more able than they were. For some people AI means being able to code where they couldn't before. For many it will mean learning to code by observing what the AI does. For others it might mean being able to code a lot faster, or even a lot better, than they already could. And yeah, for some it will mean they atrophy in some skills while they develop others. The exoskeleton will have the same problems, if anyone ever brings a decent one to market, but on the whole it will be an enabler.
I don't see how cultivating a contributor who's using an assistive technology is worse than cultivating a contributor who isn't. Apart from that it can be more challenging, of course.
Think of it like a robotic exoskeleton. It will be used to let people do bad things, and stupid things, but it will also be used to help people who otherwise couldn't do things do good things, or become more able than they were. For some people AI means being able to code where they couldn't before. For many it will mean learning to code by observing what the AI does. For others it might mean being able to code a lot faster, or even a lot better, than they already could. And yeah, for some it will mean they atrophy in some skills while they develop others. The exoskeleton will have the same problems, if anyone ever brings a decent one to market, but on the whole it will be an enabler.
I don't see how cultivating a contributor who's using an assistive technology is worse than cultivating a contributor who isn't. Apart from that it can be more challenging, of course.