Will Frontend Developers Disappear?

In the past few months, I have been using Cursor and Windsurf IDE. When I input a request prompt, they quickly generate code, and sometimes I can even see the final UI. If a bug occurs, they fix it automatically. This makes me wonder: Will frontend developers eventually disappear?

What AI Can Do

1. Boost Development Efficiency

IDE tools integrated with ChatGPT significantly speed up frontend development. If a design is created in Figma, AI can generate HTML or framework-based code. Frontend engineers will primarily debug and optimize the code to meet project requirements. In the future, junior frontend developers may be replaced by AI.

2. AI + Frontend Development

If AI can handle simple and repetitive tasks, frontend engineers will shift toward more complex work that AI cannot easily manage. This includes business logic, UX improvements, and strategic decision-making.

3. AI + Frontend Prompt Engineering

New AI-powered IDEs still struggle to fully understand specific development requirements. However, a frontend engineer skilled in writing effective AI prompts can gain a competitive edge over peers by leveraging AI more efficiently.

What Can I Do?

Even though AI might replace certain aspects of frontend development, I must learn to work alongside it. AI enhances efficiency and will continue to become more powerful. However, human creativity, user experience design, and problem-solving remain critical skills that AI cannot fully replace.

Additionally, becoming a full-stack developer will provide more flexibility and make me more valuable to startups and clients. Just like during the Industrial Revolution, manual labor was replaced, but new jobs emerged. AI, like ChatGPT, is a wave of change—I must embrace it from the very beginning.