"i only speak liquid" #86: Bridging the AI Gap in Development

Hey everyone,

This is Rishi’s 2nd edit of “i_only_speak_liquid”! 🙏🙌💯

Let him cook 👨‍🍳

—

About Rishi: Rishi is a UK based frontend developer with over 10 years of specialised experience in Shopify development. His expertise includes custom theme development, marketing and conversion rate optimisation (CRO), design-led development, and e-commerce strategy.

Ofc: He’s an expert on Storetasker 😉 apply here.

Let’s dive in 🤿

What I’ve been thinking about:

We've all encountered the warnings: “AI is about to take your job.” The recent partnership between Shopify and Lovables has amplified these concerns. Initially, I felt a lump in my throat, fearing my dream of living off the grid in a remote area had arrived. However, after some reflection, I bring myself back to reality.

As developers, we provide a service that clients purchase primarily due to a lack of resources on their end. This often boils down to two main deficits: time and skill.

The Time Factor

The internet has democratised learning. Anyone can acquire skills through YouTube, online courses, or blogs. Even before AI became mainstream, individuals could learn SEO or coding and become developers. This was my own path into what I do today.

While AI can generate code snippets or theme blocks, the time commitment remains significant.

 • CEO Perspective: It’s unlikely that a CEO will divert their attention from operations to prompt AI for rebuilding their Shopify store. Even with low barriers to entry, someone must invest time to implement these solutions.

 • Small Businesses: Sure, tech-forward small businesses may quickly adopt AI tools, but most companies won’t dismiss their developers simply because they can use Lovable now.

 • Maximising Workflow: As developers, we can leverage AI to enhance our workflows, potentially creating AI-driven solutions that automate mundane tasks.

The Skill Factor

AI requires skilled prompting and guidance to deliver effective solutions. As developers, we have a responsibility to:

 • Create and maintain quality documentation.

 • Correct inaccuracies and identify errors in AI-generated code.

While AI may seem simple, the difference between poorly generated code and well-crafted solutions is stark. Stakeholders expect high-quality outcomes, and this necessitates a level of skill that must be learned.

Consider the world of SEO; despite the abundance of free resources online, the demand for skilled SEO professionals remains high. Founders and CEOs prefer to hire experts rather than attempt to navigate these complexities themselves.

Embracing Change

New tools and AI integrations will continue to emerge. Instead of fearing redundancy, we should adapt our approach:

 • Market Your Skills: If AI enables skilled developers to work faster, make that your selling point. Position yourself as a fractional CTO, for example, or leverage AI to streamline A/B testing and focus on analytics.

 • Pivot, Don’t Panic: AI won’t eliminate our roles; it may simply require us to pivot our strategies.

3 links you can’t miss:

• Dezi - A visual builder for Shopify apps that makes creating UIs so much easier.

• Shopinfo.app - A great tool for determining what theme a shop is using.

• PixelSnap - I use this all the time to check spacing and alignment when developing pixel-perfect themes.

1 app I like:

Discount Kit – I remember my early freelancer days of running sales for a client and having to bulk edit compare-at prices over a range of SKUs. Oh, I wish I had Discount Kit back then; they make discounting so easy. They’ve recently released Discount Kit Live, which utilises metaobjects and Liquid to make it super easy to integrate into themes.

One learning as a freelancer:

The comparison trap is one of my biggest struggles. I often take breaks from social media to avoid comparing myself to others and their achievements. Within my developer community, we frequently discuss scaling our businesses. I recall one developer stating, “If you are a freelancer making enough money to live off, you’re doing really well.”

Having been a full-time freelancer for the past five years, I need to remind myself that this is a significant achievement.

Currently, I'm reading Run Studio Run by Eli Altman, and I found this quote particularly impactful:

“Unless you are running a publicly traded company, you have no responsibility to grow your company. The board will not be searching for your replacement. Only you can set the limits for your growth, and you should.”

I’m in the process of answering the question, “What do I want my work to do for me?” Once I work this out, I can determine how much I need to sustain that lifestyle while still having time for other pursuits. I recognise that growth always comes at a cost, and pursuing it just because the internet suggests it isn’t a sustainable approach.

-Rishi