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0 pointsIanCal5mo ago0 comments

There are three takes that I think are not depressing:

* Being excited to be able to write the pieces of code they want, and not others. When you sit down to write code, you do not do everything from scratch, you lean on libraries, compilers, etc. Take the most annoying boilerplate bit of code you have to write now - would you be happy if a new language/framework popped up that eliminated it?

* Being excited to be able to solve more problems because the code is at times a means to an end. I don't find writing CSS particularly fun but I threw together a tool for making checklists for my kids in very little time using llms and it handled all of the css for printing vs on the screen. I'm interested in solving an optimisation issue with testing right now, but not that interested in writing code to analyse test case perf changes so the latter I got written for me in very little time and it's great. It wasn't really a choice of me or machine, I do not really have the time to focus on those tasks.

* Being excited that others can get the outcomes I've been able to get for at least some problems, without having to learn how to code.

As is tradition, to torture a car analogy, I could be excited for a car that autonomously drives me to the shops despite loving racing rally cars.

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wakawaka285mo ago

Those are all good outcomes, up to a point. But if this stuff works TOO well, most or maybe all of us will have to start looking at other career options. Whatever autonomy you think you have in deciding what the AI does, that can ultimately be trained as well, and it will be the more people use it.

I personally don't like it when others who don't know how to code are able to get results using AI. I spent many years of my life and a small fortune learning scarce skills that everyone swore would be the last to ever be automated. Now, in a cruel twist of fate, those skills are being automated and there is seemingly no worthwhile job that can't be automated given enough investment. I am hopeful because the AI still has a long way to go, but even with the improvements it currently has, it might ultimately destroy the tech industry. I'm hoping that Say's Law proves true in this case, but even before the AI I was skeptical that we would find work for all the people trying to get into the software industry.

JarieSuisen4mo ago

I get the feeling, but I can't help but also say it sounds like how I imagine professional portrait artists felt about the photograph. Or scribes about audio recordings. Or any other occupation that similarly got more or less replaced by a technological advance.

Those jobs still exist, but by large are either very niche or work using that tech in some way.

It is not wrong to feel down about the risk of so much time, training, etc rapidly losing value. But it also isn't wrong that change isn't bad, and sometimes that includes adjusting how we use our skills and/or developing new ones. Nobody gets to be elite forever, they will be replaced and become common or unneeded eventually. So it's probably more helpful for yourself and those that may want to rely on you to be forward-thinking rather than complaining. Doesn't mean you have to become pro-AI, but may be helpful to be pragmatic and work where it can't.

As to work supply... I figure that will always be a problem as long as money is the main point of work. If people could just work where they specialize without so much concern for issues like not starving, maybe it would be a different. I dunno.

badsectoracula5mo ago

> I personally don't like it when others who don't know how to code are able to get results using AI.

Sounds like for many programmers AI is the new Visual Basic 6 :-P

wakawaka285mo ago

It's worse than that lol. At least with VB 6 and similar scripting languages, there is still code getting written. Now we have complete morons who think they're software developers because they got some AI to shit out an app for them. This is going to affect how people view the profession of software engineering all around.

ares6235mo ago

Except in this case you won't be able to afford going to the shops anymore. Or even if the shops will still be around. What use is an autonomous car if you can't use it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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wakawaka285mo ago

JarieSuisen4mo ago

Those jobs still exist, but by large are either very niche or work using that tech in some way.

badsectoracula5mo ago

> I personally don't like it when others who don't know how to code are able to get results using AI.

Sounds like for many programmers AI is the new Visual Basic 6 :-P

wakawaka285mo ago

ares6235mo ago

Except in this case you won't be able to afford going to the shops anymore. Or even if the shops will still be around. What use is an autonomous car if you can't use it.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse