In an era where artificial intelligence can not only execute but generate code, the role of software engineers is undergoing a significant transformation. Tom Enden’s tech talk, The End of Determinism: What’s Left for Engineers When AI Writes the Code, presented at the Wix Engineering Tech Talks, delves into the philosophical implications of this shift.

A Confession and a Paradigm Shift

Based on content from Wix Engineering Tech Talks

The talk begins with a striking confession: Enden shipped code he didn’t fully understand, in a language he wasn’t fluent in, and paradoxically, he felt proud of it. This scenario, once unimaginable, now captures a prevailing sentiment among engineers.

As we pivot from the deterministic world—where every input precisely corresponds to a coded output—towards generative AI-driven solutions, the foundation of software engineering feels unsettled. The core question arises: What becomes of the engineer’s identity when AI assumes the role of coding?

The Engineer’s New Skillset

Rather than signalling an end, this transformation elevates the profession to higher realms of complexity and nuance. According to Enden, three pivotal skills emerge:

• Dialogue: Coding has turned Socratic as engineers learn to ask the right questions instead of asserting predetermined answers.
• Ownership: While authorship of code becomes distributed among humans and machines, ownership remains a vital, human responsibility.
• Taste & Judgment: In a landscape wrought with uncertainty, recognizing valuable solutions and committing to them becomes paramount.

Beyond the Code: Towards a Philosophical Engineering Practice

Echoing Emeritus Uncles of Code, like Bob Martin, who tout the irrelevance of syntax, Enden argues that syntax has always been mere scaffolding, allowing engineers to address more substantive problems. Climbing the ladder of abstraction historically has led us to more intellectually engaging challenges, and now, we must confront the ultimate abstraction: a philosophical approach to engineering.

Understanding Authorship and Ownership

In a world where AI collaborates with humans, authorship appears complex and interconnected, echoing Roland Barthes’s assertion that any text is a tissue of quotations. Engineers must redefine their role—not as sole authors, but as custodians who ensure the reliability and integrity of AI-generated work. This notion of ownership is framed by the responsibility to address and rectify issues arising from AI-developed code, transforming engineers from mere coders into knowledgeable stewards.

Cultivating Taste and Judgment

As Greg Brockman of OpenAI suggests, taste—an engineer’s sense of distinguishing quality—becomes a key skill. Historical discourses, like those of Steve Jobs, recognize taste as a cornerstone in innovation, now more significant than ever. Engineers are tasked with discerning what to pursue among myriad possibilities AI presents—thus enacting judgment that steers technological development.

Conclusion: The Philosopher-Engineer

This philosophically driven engineering practice suggests that while the means of creation have evolved, the essence of engineering—embracing complexity and exerting discernment—remains constant, if not more pronounced. As the dust settles around AI and code generation, we rediscover ourselves as philosophers of technology, negotiating the fine line between capability and consequence.

The transformation ultimately challenges engineers to ponder not only their craft but also the driving forces and ethical dimensions behind it. In answering the final question Enden poses—“Who made this presentation?”—we recognize the intricate web of human and AI interaction shaping our shared digital future.

[Audience applause]

In this post, we explore seven simple reasons why you should write a memoir and why your life story matters and is worth telling.

If you have decided to write about your life, you have made a decision to write a memoir. Remember that this is not an easy journey, and you will wonder why you are doing it many times. If you can work through this, you will accomplish something special. As William Zinsser says: ‘Memoir isn’t the summary of a life; it’s a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual, and even random, calling up of bygone events. It’s not; it’s a deliberate construction.’

7 Really Good Reasons To Write A Memoir

The most important reason to write a memoir:

There are many reasons for writing your life story, but the most compelling one is this:

1. To Tell Your Story – Only you can tell your story your way. Other writers cannot write it the way you want to write it. You have something special – your voice and your style. As Diana Raab says: ‘When you write a memoir, you are writing your version of what you think happened from your own perspective. Someone else might have another version. ’

Other important reasons to write about yourself:

2. To Make Sense Of Your Life. Memoirists often write to tell other people what happened to them, but they end up learning more about themselves in the process.

3. To Release The Pain. Memoirists write as therapy. If they write the truth, in their own voices, a memoir can be a healing experience. According to Anne Lamott: “You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.”

4. To Leave A Record. Memoirists are adding to the tapestry of life. Writing down your experiences means that you are adding to the recorded history of the world.

5. To Leave A Trail. Memoirists are offering their families and friends their side of the story. Even if they are never published in the greater world, they will have left a trail for people who knew them to follow.

6. To Connect. Memoirists become part of a community when they tell their stories. They are able to connect with people who have gone through a similar experience or with people who have not, but who can empathise and learn from their stories. As Isabel Allende explains: ‘I have more freedom when I write fiction, but my memoirs have had a much stronger impact on my readers. Somehow the ‘message’, even if I am not even aware that there is one, is conveyed better in this form.’

7. To Learn How To Tell Stories. The craft of storytelling is a great one for anybody to have in this life. Memoirists learn how to create stories and scenes with beginnings, middles, and endings. They learn how to organise their thoughts and to communicate more clearly.

The Last Word

Don’t write a memoir to get revenge or to teach people a lesson. Write it for yourself. If they learn something from your book, that is a bonus. So learn how to write, construct a story framework that makes sense, and finish writing your memoir.

Top Tip: If you want to learn how to write a memoir, look into our Secrets of a Memoirist course.

by Amanda Patterson
© Amanda Patterson

If you liked this blogger’s writing, you may enjoy:

1. The Ultimate Checklist For Writing A Memoir
2. How To Find Your Story’s Theme In 3 Simple Steps
3. Why Embracing Your Inner Madness Makes You A Better Writer
4. What Is A Story Goal? The Secret To A Strong Plot
5. 45 Ways To Avoid Using The Word ‘Very’
6. What Is Tone? 155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone
7. What Is Direct & Indirect Characterisation? & Which One Should I Use?
8. 20 Fun Ways To Find Plot Ideas For Your Story
9. All About Pacing: 4 Key Questions Every Writer Should Ask
10. Past Tense Or Present Tense: Which Works Best For Your Story?

Top Tip: Sign up for our free daily writing links

The post 7 Really Good Reasons To Write A Memoir appeared first on Writers Write.

Discover 15 inspiring reasons to start writing poetry, from boosting creativity and experimentation to strengthening your voice and improving your overall writing skills.

Why should you write poems?

Because they’re awesome, but also because poetry is even more condensed than the short story. I find writing poems challenging, and they make me approach writing differently.

15 Inspiring Reasons To Start Writing Poetry

They also:

1. Allow you to brainstorm. Because the medium differs from stories, poems allow you to express things differently. Use them to brainstorm ideas.
2. Make your words work. Even more than the short story, poems have limited words, and we need to make our words work hard.
3. Make you think differently about words. Poems make us re-evaluate words and think of new ways to manipulate language.
4. Make you evaluate each word, because the condensed nature of a poem means we have to spend even more time evaluating our word choice.
5. Allow you to say exactly what it is you want to say. Poems act as a filter and help us get to the guts of the matter.
6. Have rules, but they also have no rules. You get to break all the rules when you write poems but do it only because it serves the poem. Manipulate grammar, change the sentence structure.
7. Allow you to experiment and experiment some more. Have fun.
8. Have many places to submit. The only thing there is more of on the internet than short story competitions and submissions are poetry sites. Dig in.
9. Are even quicker to write. A poem can take a few minutes and just spill out or it can take years.
10. Give you a break from fiction, because it is such a different medium.
11. Make you more aware of how words and sentences sound, which will improve your fiction.
12. Help you express emotion and feelings. Poems are supposed to make you feel something even if you don’t understand them. They help you get feelings out.
13. Give you deadlines, deadlines, and more deadlines. Find them online, sign up here, but get going.
14. Give you an opportunity to learn by reading and commenting on other poems.
15. Help you learn from the comments and feedback from other poets.

It is true that many of these are applicable of all writing, but I hope that I have convinced you that poems are valuable. These 15 reasons to write poetry should inspire you. It would be awesome if you would like to join us for this new adventure on the 12 Poems Challenge.

Read my Poetry 101 Series:

1. Poetry 101: What Is A Poem?
2. Poetry 101: How To Analyse A Poem
3. Poetry 101: Creating Figurative Language Using Literary Devices
4. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems – The Sonnet
5. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems – The Haiku
6. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems – Free Verse
7. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems – The Limerick
8. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems – The Villanelle
9. Poetry 101: Kinds Of Poems: The Ballad

by Mia Botha

If you enjoyed this blogger’s writing, you will love:

1. Worldbuilding: The Ultimate Setting Checklist For Writers
2. Show Don’t Tell: 5 Simple Techniques Every Writer Should Know
3. How To Show & Not Tell In Short Stories
4. A Complete Guide To Writing Prompts & Daily Writing Practice
5. How To Write What You Love
6. 4 Point Of View Choices For Writers
7. Where Does Conflict Come From In Fiction?
8. Writing Competitions To Inspire You
9. How To Write Epic Beginnings
10. How Much Magic Do You Need In A Fantasy Novel?

Top Tip: Sign up for our free daily writing links.

The post 15 Inspiring Reasons To Start Writing Poetry appeared first on Writers Write.

Update kernel to 6.18.33.1-1 (#40728)

Just got home after an 18-hour travel day. Air France provided the best international wifi of my life. Super fast the whole time. See you Monday!

[blog] Announcing Angular v22. Three big features reach a stable status. The Angular team also delivered a handful of capabilities that make it better for AI apps and agentic coding.

[blog] Gemma 4 12B: The Developer Guide. Find some useful details about this small, portable, and mighty model.

[article] The token bill comes due: Inside the industry scramble to manage AI’s runaway costs. This conversation went from a growl to a roar this week. All off a sudden, token costs are a legit line item expense, and vendors are scrambling to respond accordingly. You know it’s serious when we get a new Foundation!

[blog] The Many Deaths and Rebirths of .NET. Has any programming language/framework had the funky history of .NET? I can’t think of one.

[article] Wells Fargo CEO: AI’s effect on employment is ‘complicated’. Some clear-eyed thinking here. Don’t upend or reconfigure your entire organization until you know what’s possible, and what you’re aiming for.

[blog] Migrating to Antigravity CLI. Moving on from the Gemini CLI? This has the key steps, and also flags a few pretty cool features of the Antigravity CLI.

[blog] What Bun Can Tell Us About AI, Open Source and Anthropic. What does it mean that this wildly popular JavaScript runtime has mostly AI contributors instead of human? This and more is discussed by Steve in this interesting post.

[blog] From Flutter to Backend: How to Build and Ship Production REST APIs with Dart and Shelf. This is a legit deep dive that goes beyond “hello world.” Middleware, authentication, data handling, and more.

[blog] Hybrid AI in Flutter: Routing Between On-Device and Cloud Models. It doesn’t have to be local OR cloud. You can use a mix of both with smart routing.

[blog] Build your own Flutter GenUI solution with Gemini structured outputs. One more Flutter piece today. It’s long, but I like the conclusion that the “thinking” was the hardest part.

[article] Engineering Leaders, You Should Be Worried If Your Team Isn’t Pushing Back. Silence from your team doesn’t mean everyone agrees. Or that the volume equals clarity. Good reminder!

[blog] Scaling AI Agents: A Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying ADK on GKE Autopilot. Very good end-to-end look of building, containerizing, deploying, and configuring an agent on Kubernetes.

[article] How People Are Really Using AI in 2026. Some red flags on losing our intentions and outsourcing our thinking. We’re also replacing human connections that provide emotional support. Not great. There are excellent uses, but we’re probably going to go too far before we pull back to the right place.

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