NOT SPECIFIED — Simon Willison, co-creator of the Django web framework, said Thursday that artificial intelligence could usher in a "dark factory" era in software development where coding is completely done by AI, operating without human intervention. Willison made the remarks in a podcast interview.

"There's this idea in factory automation. 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," he said.

The concept, drawn from industrial manufacturing, describes a scenario in which AI systems handle the entire software development process independently, removing the need for human coders to be involved at any stage. Willison indicated that he once viewed such a possibility as far-fetched but that his perspective has changed in recent months.

"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," he said.

AI can already write most of Willison's code, he indicated. Professionals who currently use AI coding 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 is correct. The scenario Willison described would eliminate even the monitoring and review steps that human developers currently perform.

Willison co-created Django, a web framework that thousands of sites, including Instagram, have used to get started.

AI has advanced rapidly over the last several years, raising questions over how it could affect the global workforce. Klarna, IBM, Block, and Oracle have attributed recent layoffs to AI.