DEV Community: Remy Choi

Reflections on Being a Developer in the Age of AI

Remy Choi — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 06:27:08 +0000

There is a strange tension in the air lately.

AI feels magical. At the same time, it makes many developers uneasy. We watch models write code, design systems, and even reason about architecture.

It’s not unreasonable to ask:

What happens to developers when AI gets this good?

This post is not about fear, nor hype. It’s a reflection—from someone living through the transition.

AI Feels Like Magic — Until You Look Closer

When people talk about AI, they often imagine a magician waving a wand. You type a prompt, and a perfect result instantly appears.

But that illusion fades quickly once you actually work with AI.

AI does not decide what to build.

It does not know why something matters.

It does not understand value unless someone explains the context.

AI cannot define its own goals. Someone still has to decide direction, constraints, and priorities.

So if AI could truly solve everything on its own, would the world eventually be left with only AI?

At least in 2026, the answer is clearly no.

In Turbulent Times, Focus on What Doesn’t Change

We are living in a period of rapid technological change. When everything moves this fast, the instinct is to chase every new tool.

Ironically, this is when focusing on unchanging fundamentals matters most.

Problem-solving still matters

Tools change constantly. Languages, frameworks, and now even “who writes the code” keep shifting.

But one skill remains stubbornly irreplaceable:

the ability to identify real problems and define them clearly.

AI can generate solutions. It cannot tell you which problems are worth solving.

Curiosity beats fear

Developers who survive transitions aren’t the ones who resist new tools.

They are the ones who experiment, fail, and ask better questions.

Curiosity and adaptability have always been a competitive advantage.

In the age of AI, they may be the strongest ones.

So What Does a Developer Look Like in 2026?

Will developers disappear?

More realistically, the role is evolving, not vanishing.

The modern developer is no longer just someone who writes code line by line.

Instead, they increasingly act as a conductor.

The 2026 developer is:

Someone who orchestrates AI agents
Someone who supervises multiple AI systems doing “traditional” development work
Someone who reviews outputs and takes responsibility for the result
Someone who translates vague business needs into structures AI can understand

In short, developers are becoming designers of intent, not just implementers.

My Coding Workflow Has Already Changed

This shift isn’t theoretical—it’s already happening.

My own workflow looks different now:

I write a spec document first
I define coding style and architectural constraints upfront
Only then do I ask AI to implement

The result surprised me.

I spend less time fighting implementation details

and more time thinking about business logic, edge cases, and trade-offs.

AI is very good at execution—

if the problem is defined clearly.

That’s the key.

What matters now isn’t how fast you type code,

but how well you design, specify, and communicate intent.

The Tool Has Never Been the Point

Humanity has always built tools to solve problems.

From stone tools to compilers to AI models,

technology has never been the hero—problem-solving has.

Every technology is created by humans.

And ultimately, every technology exists for humans.

That’s why I believe this remains true in every era:

People who solve problems do not disappear.

AI Is a Powerful Assistant, Not a Desire-Driven Being

AI doesn’t want anything.

It doesn’t want a better life.

It doesn’t want recognition.

It doesn’t want happiness.

It moves only when given objectives.

The clearer the context, the better it performs.

That makes AI an incredibly capable assistant—and sometimes a developer.

But not an autonomous agent with values of its own.

(Also, realistically speaking: using AI well still costs money.)

A Question That Still Lingers

If AI can produce everything,

what happens when there is no one left to judge something as “valuable”?

Value does not exist in isolation.

It requires a being that can experience it.

Even in a future filled with AI-generated goods and services,

the world only works if there are:

beings who create value (AI)
and beings who perceive value (humans)

Whether AI can ever develop true desire is a fascinating question—

but that’s a topic for another day.

A Final Thought

AI is changing what it means to be a developer.

Feeling anxious about that change is completely natural.

But by focusing on fundamentals,

by staying curious instead of fearful,

and by riding the wave instead of resisting it,

we can survive—and even thrive—in this chaotic era.

Stay strong, fellow developers. 🐇🎩

Reflections on the Djangonaut Space Journey 🦄

Remy Choi — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:20:00 +0000

The 8-week Djangonaut period has come to an end. When I first started, I was worried about whether I could do well due to my poor English skills, but the warm community and my teammates helped me successfully complete the program.

Djangonaut not only reduced my fear and unfamiliarity with Django open source contribution but also provided even greater value and inspiration.

🔭 Looking Back at the 8-Week Journey

Initially, when I decided to contribute to Django, the process felt unfamiliar and daunting because, unlike other projects, Django's issue tickets are managed on a separate page. Before Djangonaut, I had actually tried to contribute to a promising issue, but I quickly gave up because the discussion was too deep and complex. However, during the Djangonaut program, my mentor recommended suitable tickets, making it much easier for me to select an accessible issue to work on.

When you participate in Djangonaut, you are placed in a team with two assigned mentors. We held a team meeting once a week, and a 1:1 meeting with a mentor every two weeks. If you were to proceed alone, the journey could feel emotionally and technically overwhelming, but this regular communication with the team and mentors was incredibly helpful.

After some hard work (the process is detailed here), I successfully submitted my first PR. I learned a tremendous amount during the review process. I hope to use this feedback to significantly improve my code quality and structure in future PRs.

I'm currently working hard to incorporate the review feedback and will keep pushing until the PR is successfully merged!

Contribution to Documentation

Because the Django documentation is always in English, I always had to translate it into my own language to fully understand it. Doing this made me realize that I might as well contribute to the translation effort. However, I haven't had a chance to do it yet. 🥲 I plan to work diligently on document translation this week.

Contributing to Django News (Updates to Django)

After submitting my Django PR, I was considering what to do next when my mentor mentioned the Django News, which encouraged me to try contributing. The biggest challenge I faced during this process was, once again, the English language.

To contribute to the Updates to Django section, you first claim the current week and then write a brief summary of the week’s activity: who contributed, which PRs were merged, and any interesting discussions from issues, PRs, or the forum. Once approved, your Updates to Django article takes its historic first step! 🚀

I spent a considerable amount of time writing the news for that week, primarily because it took time to understand the English discussions and various issues. However, when the Django News was published, I felt incredibly proud and it was an unforgettable experience. 👼🏻 Thank you to the Djangonauts who helped me along the way.

Giving a Lightning Talk

Personally, I gained so much from Djangonaut Space that I wanted to share my experience with others! Therefore, I participated in a short talk to present my learnings and technical experiences from the program. In the talk, I focused on the broadened perspective and the incredible support I received from the community. I was only able to participate with a recorded video due to the time difference, which was a little disappointing!

What's Next & Thanks Djangonaut!

As Djangonaut Space concludes, I'm contemplating my next steps. It was such a great program that I am eager to stay involved. I am currently considering a few options. Since I plan to participate in open source contributions next year, I will likely join the Django translation efforts if the opportunity arises.I truly hope the Korean Django community sees a revival next year. 😿

I also want to give back the help and inspiration I received from Djangonaut Space. If given the opportunity next year, I would love to try being a mentor for the next batch of Djangonauts. I understand the fear of "Can I really do this?" better than anyone, and I want to be a bridge for other Korean developers to start this amazing journey.

Joining Djangonaut Space was definitely the best thing I did in 2025! It helped me overcome the difficulties of Django contribution and brought a ray of light into my dull developer life. It was also an opportunity to expand my mindset and language skills by engaging with people from various countries outside of the Korean developer community. I was incredibly impressed by the thoughtful and positive energy of the Djangonaut community! I hope more Korean developers join this program.

Thank you, Djangonaut Space, for taking me on this wonderful journey! 🌌 💫

[Djangonaut][first PR] Week 1 ~ 2 (9.29 ~ 10.10)

Remy Choi — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:22:22 +0000

I submitted my first PR to the Django project! I'm going to write about the process and the challenges I faced while submitting my PR.

Lesson 1, Find a ticket you want to contribute and assign it to yourself.

Django issue tickets aren't on Github - they're managed on a separate website. You need to login to the Django site in order to assign yourself to a ticket.

You can assign yourself to a ticket by clicking Modify Ticket button on the ticket you want to work on, and selecting your name in the assign to field. (This lets other contributors know that you plan to work on that ticket.)

Lesson 2, Understand the problem and think about how to solve it.

During this process, I got help from Gemini, went through the Django docs, and organized my understanding of the problem.

Lesson 3, Writing the code

In the Django documentation, there's a well-written guide for first-time contributors. (Writing your first contribution for Django)

Installing Git.
Downloading a copy of Django’s development version.
Running Django’s test suite.
Writing a test for your changes.
Writing the code for your changes.
Testing your changes.
Submitting a pull request.
Where to look for more information.

Before writing your code, run all the tests first and note how many fail. Then, after writing your code, run them again and compare the number of failed tests.

You can also check if your test passes successfully for the code you wrote.

Lesson 4, Checking the code

[] This PR targets the main branch.
[] The commit message is written in past tense, mentions the ticket number, and ends with a period.
[] I have checked the "Has patch" ticket flag in the Trac system.
[] I have added or updated relevant tests.
[] I have added or updated relevant docs, including release notes if applicable.
[] I have attached screenshots in both light and dark modes for any UI changes.

When submitting a PR, you'll find a checklist like this.

You need to make sure your commit message is well written and follows the Django committing guidelines.
You need to check Has Patch flag on the issue ticket. You can find this option after clicking the Modify Ticket button on the issue page.
You need to add the relevant tests, documentation, and release notes.

⭐ When you write the documentation, make sure it follows the correct format according to the Writing documentation guide. If you don’t check this, the GitHub Action will fail — (my experience 😅)

All checks have passed ! 🎉

Now, all I have to do is wait for the review.

My first PR submission is finally done… what a journey! 💪

Week 0 in Djangonaut (9.25 ~ 9.28)

Remy Choi — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 06:22:40 +0000

I joined the Djangonaut Discord and became part of the Djangonaut program as a member of Team Mars.

In Week 0, I introduced myself on Discord, had our first team meeting, and joined the welcome session.

Although I’ve faced some challenges with communication in English, I’ll do my best to overcome them.

This week, I’ll start contributing in earnest, and I’m determined to give it my best effort. :)