Comment by keyle
5 hours ago
I sympathise with the author being in the same boat, largely.
I just want to emphasise a point... Calculators give 100% correct answers and yet we still hire accountants; for the simple fact that we don't want all to be accountants.
People will hire software engineers for the simple fact that they do not want to be software engineers.
"calculator" ("computer") was a profession. not anymore.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_(occupation)
With todays LLMs, yes. But if they can ever reach a level of a contractor in a reliable way and companies offering them willing to take responsibility (because confidence is high and rest is insured), then one can just hire a cheap AI agent to fulfill a contract - design, implement, deploy, run and maintain your service/website like the engineer before.
Calculators are not a replacement for accountants, online accounting services are in many cases. Which again can be run by an AI if they reach that level of reliability.
Today with LLMs this is still sci-fi, though.
I mean, if they can do that, then game over Terminator style.
People don't make their own bread. They buy it from an expert.
But bread shops are available on every corner. Will software jobs become as common as bread shops? If yes, what happens to the salaries? Something to think about.
Accountants have specialized domain knowledge (laws, regulations, procedures, bureaucracy etc.) that goes well beyond what a calculator can do.
If we apply the same argument to software engineering I think it's a good point... just maybe not the one you intended to make.
Learning a company and it's product is so natural to us that we hardly talk about it. It's a key skill for reliable workers.
It's probably impossible for LLMs to learn and apply that wisdom reliably.
funny i was able to do all my taxes this year with ai help and not needing accountant.
Lol thats brave on your part, given that a mistake can cost thousands and you have no accountability (punch!) from an LLM
Your account has no accountability. Do your taxes wrong and the tax payer is liable.
Ask me how I know.
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In the US, all you need to work in tax prep is a high school diploma and most individuals are not worth the cost of an audit.
I wouldn't say it's particularly brave, in fact LLMs are probably better at identifying mistakes than most tax payers. The % of Americans using a CPA to file taxes is fairly small.
Are you in the USA? Brave person if so.