Comment by Waterluvian
16 hours ago
I think AI can generally be utilized in two ways:
1) you use it to help write code that you still “own” and fully understand.
2) you use it as an abstraction layer to write and maintain the code for you. The code becomes a compile target in a sense. You would feel like it’s someone else’s code if you were asked to make changes without AI.
I think 2) is fine for things like prototypes, examples, references. Things that are short lived. Where the quality of the code or your understanding of it doesn’t matter.
I think people get into trouble when they fool themselves and others by using 2) for work that requires 1). Because it’s quicker and easier. But it’s a lie. They’re mortgaging the codebase. And I think the atrophy sets in when people do this.
And any push to use 2 to build infra to make 1 easier is hard to sell when a lot of engineers think AI will be able to perfectly do 1 in some nebulous time in the near future.
the thing is it doesn't even feel like mortgaging. shipping, features going out, everything looks fine. then something breaks and you realize you can't debug your own code without asking the model again.
It feels like an addiction. Normal coding requires sustained attention, you can sense how deep you are in the progress and when you're too tired to continue, but with LLMs the next feature always feels like another prompt away, having sessions go well into the early morning/late-night. You rationalize you can quit, that you've been reading the source and each diff enough to "understand" the codebase. But the truth is when the rate limit runs out, you'll be absolutely helpless, crawling back for extra-usage, until you finally see the total bill at the end of the month.
It also feels like another nail into the coffin for our attention. Smart phones, IM, notifications and new media has already destroyed a good deal of it, AI seems to be doing that to coding. Do more, faster, just ask the AI, dont spend your time on this or that, you can in the meantime switch your attention elsewhere, maybe to another AI, quick.
I use it both ways:
1) Day job 2) Side project
It would be unprofessional to treat the first like the second.
I did the same. 2 was more of a curiosity, to see how quickly will it paint itself into corner. Maybe not there yet, but close enough that I consider taking over even for the side project.
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