Simon Willison says the ‘dark factory’ is the next big thing in AI

• Django co-creator Simon Willison said AI could usher in the "dark factory" era.
• Coding would be completely done by AI, meaning it could operate without human intervention.
• "The machines can operate in complete darkness if you don't need people on the factory floor," he said.

AI can already write most of Simon Willison's code. The bigger question, he says, is what happens when it no longer needs him at all.

Willison, the co-creator of the Django web framework, which thousands of sites, including Instagram, have used to get started, said professionals who use AI tools typically follow a specific sequence: They tell the AI what they want, monitor its progress, and then review the finished code to ensure it's correct.

However, what if humans trusted AI to oversee the entire process? That, he said, is called the "dark factory."

"There's this idea in factory automation," Willison said during "Lemmy's Podcast" on Thursday. "If your factory is so automated that you don't need people there, you can turn the lights off. Like, the machines can operate in complete darkness if you don't need people on the factory floor."

AI has advanced rapidly over the last several years, raising questions over how it could affect the global workforce. While some AI enthusiasts believe the tech will create new jobs, others worry it could replace humans, leaving them unemployed. Some major companies — like Klarna, IBM, Block, and Oracle, to name a few — have all attributed recent layoffs to AI.

Willison said some companies are already telling human staffers not to write code anymore. "Honestly, six months ago, I thought that was crazy, and today, probably 95% of the code that I produce, I didn't type it myself," Willison said.

Although vibe coding has made it easier than ever to bring an idea to life, that doesn't mean everyone will become overnight millionaires. Having an original, creative idea is just as important as having good tech to make it happen.