As we all know, AI tools have changed everything about this industry, from how we interact with customers to the way we develop software. Think about the invention of the C language, and the leaps it created for our industry. Think about the invention of ARPANET. Today’s AI is up there with these giants. It’s a complete game changer for developers worldwide, advancing products and research towards the benefit of the public good. It’s a resource that must be protected we see the best gains. I encourage every single developer to try it out at least once in your workflow and be amazed at the benefits you see.

One criticism that many have with AI is copyright. Its more prevalent in the art community, but when strictly talking about AI programming tools, it’s a concern that some of the code in their training data is copyrighted. But arguing that because its training data is copyrighted means that its output is also copyrighted is a slippery slope argument. AI isn’t some generic copy and paste, but a vastly complex system that builds on its training data, combines what its seen, uses pattern recognition, and forms a complete output.

Some are scared to utilize these tools, claiming copyright issues and the lack of precedent as a bad thing. But let’s be honest here, would giant companies like Google, Meta, Apple, … are worried about copyright? They exclaim that it’s a game changer for the industry, Google especially touting that over 25% of new code in their company is generated by AI. If an industry giant like Google isn’t worried about the copyright implications of AI, why should we?

Even if the code from these tools is copyright-able, the versatility of these tools right now is just too good to give up for a hypothetical crack down. An argument could even be made that these tools should forever be free from copyright. They serve such a great purpose that it would be actively harming real people if we were to regulate AI. It’s for the greater good of humankind that it remain as is.

Not using these tools will lead you to fall behind in this competitive job market. Everyone and their mother is using them for god’s sake, if you’re willing to fall behind due to a fear of innovation, then maybe you should. Industry leaders aren’t worried about it so why should you, the common man. Invest in yourself, invest in AI, and grow.