Is AI the next layer of abstraction?

A question of semantics? With increasing frequency, I come across the notion that large language models (LLMs) constitute a new level of abstraction in programming. A recent post on LinkedIn puts it well: "AI will be the next layer of abstraction in IT. "First we thought in machine instructions, then in procedures and functions, then in objects and patterns that are now built into the languages. With AI, we can use ordinary words to describe what we want, and then the AI writes the code." LinkedIn post, Hans Kilian, 2026, my translation The post has a bit more to say (in Danish), but is less relevant to the topic that I wish to discuss. To be clear, I have nothing against the assertion made, because whether you believe it ultimately boils down to how you define the term abstraction. Semantic levels # How do you define the word 'abstraction'? While I could do a Rich Hickey and look it up in the dictionary, I rather want to pull from other sources. In ordinary language, the word can…