Just saw this chart and it got me thinkingā¦ AI has made building software incredibly fast. As shown on the below chart, iOS app releases are up massively, but app reviews and actual usage are actually down.
And I think the same thing is happening with WordPress plugins, as I review more and more AI generated plugins here on WPBay.
Because of AI, creating a plugin today is easier than ever and getting users and earning trust + getting reviews, building a community around the plugin is now even harder, also because of AIā¦
I am starting to think that development will not matter as much in the upcoming year, but distribution will be something that will matter moreā¦
Check the iOS apps chart:
Yes, Iāve noticed that as well. Right now, I donāt fully understand whatās happening. Even though AI can do a lot and is incredibly helpful, it still canāt build a truly professional plugin/app on its own. None of my plugins could be created purely through vibe coding, there is just too much context and architecture in themā¦ You still need strong skills and experience to make meaningful changes and build something solid.
That graph is probably showing apps that donāt require much innovation, creativity, or deep technical expertise, we all know devs like indians find ways to āscamā their way really good, my sister got scamed yesterday from mother India!
As for WordPress, things have been extremely slow for me this month, literally zero. That has never happened before. The issue isnāt that AI can do this or that. I believe the real issue is that too many jobs have already been lost, more are still being lost, and weāre in a deep recession that will become obvious to everyone soon.
I have no idea what will happen next, but I do know that things will eventually recalibrate. No matter how good AI becomes, it still canāt do much without a skilled pilot behind it. And to be a good pilot, you need real knowledge and experience. That will never change, you dont belive try vibe coding any of your plugins see how it goes.
Iām confident about this. After 25 years of experience and more than 100 commercial applications built and shipped, I think I have a pretty good understanding of what Iām talking about. I use AI every day now, so I see both its strengths and its limitations. In the end, itās still a tool, a very powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless and now a very expensive tool!
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