🔗 The tacit dimension: why your best engineers can't tell you what they know

In today's software development landscape, the tacit knowledge held by experienced engineers is undervalued and often overlooked. This article argues that while explicit knowledge is easily documented and processed by AI, the intuitive insights and patterns recognized by seasoned developers are impossible to articulate or transfer effectively to artificial intelligence.

The piece draws on Michael Polanyi's concept of tacit knowledge to illustrate how many crucial understandings in engineering cannot be reduced to written words. As teams increasingly rely on AI for coding tasks, there's a rising danger of losing this invaluable insight, which could leave future engineers ill-equipped to navigate complex codebases.

The author warns that, without intentional mentorship and collaboration, the next generation could experience a decline in critical thinking and problem-solving skills, making the role of experienced engineers more essential than ever.