The end of programming (not the replacement of programmers)

[trent shipley]

I'm saying it doesn't write code.  It doesn't have to.

Business wants results with minimally acceptable quality.  You build the
AI.  You train the AI.  You get minimally acceptable results.  You tinker
with the AI if desired.

But the AI does not deliver code.  It delivers useful results within
statistically acceptable tolerances.

It doesn't make coders obsolete, it makes CODE obsolete.  (Except for the
AI experts' code to build, manage, and improve the AI
)




On Tue, Jun 6, 2023, 08:30 James Mcphee via PLUG-discuss <
plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:

> Try copilot and see all the wonderful ways you've never thought of to make
> terrible code even if it passes tests.  Programming the AI to write ok code
> is harder than writing the code right now.
>
> I'm all for the AI stuff.  It's great as a convenient method to google,
> etc.  And codefill is... eh.  If you have a reasonable amount of code in
> your base already, it can do pretty good at boilerplate.  Probably helps
> out 1/4 of the time above standard IDE library stuff. (totally scientific
> measurement of "eh, this").
>
> Here's the thing.  In any system you have a certain amount of complexity
> (entropy) that makes your thing different from the other folk.  Reducing
> boilerplate and the total amount of work to specify the complexity is fair
> game, but if you add too much complexity to the language to reduce
> complexity of typing it, that's where things lose out.  Perhaps AI can help
> with this, reduce the load on our poor hooman brains to remember the
> various options.
>
> Where it will definitely have an effect is repeated tasks (making another
> web frontend router) and information retrieval.
>
> Just my thoughts on it.
>
> On Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 8:07 AM trent shipley via PLUG-discuss <
> plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>
>> We are worried about AI learning to do programming and taking over
>> programming jobs.
>>
>> Modern AI doesn't produce code, it makes writing a lot of code
>> unnecessary.
>>
>> It may not be that programmers become obsolete but that coding as we know
>> it now becomes obsolete.
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 3:25 AM Michael via PLUG-discuss <
>> plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I don't get it...
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jun 6, 2023 at 5:03 AM trent shipley via PLUG-discuss <
>>> plug-discuss at lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> *Pointy haired manager to programmer:*  We are thinking of replacing
>>>> programming with AI.
>>>>
>>>> *Programmer:*  Don't you mean you plan to replace programmers with AI.
>>>>
>>>> *PHM:* No, replace programming itself.
>>>>
>>>> *P:*  How?  Why?
>>>>
>>>> *PHM: * Well, the Big, Poorly Understood AI produces really good
>>>> results without actually writing code.
>>>>
>>>> *P:* Go on...
>>>>
>>>> *PHM:*  Plus it's cheap and really, really prolific and efficient.
>>>>
>>>> *P:* Sure, but its quality is awful!!
>>>>
>>>> *PHM:* So is the quality of your software, all software, really.
>>>>
>>>> *P.* Yeah, but the AI's quality is MUCH worse!
>>>>
>>>> *PHM:*  Yes, but the AI is so affordable, efficient, and prolific,
>>>> that the wrongful death lawsuits will be just a cost of doing business, and
>>>> we'll still come out ahead according to the actuaries.
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>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> :-)~MIKE~(-:
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>
>
> --
> James McPhee
> jmcphe at gmail.com
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