Comment by mpalmer
6 hours ago
I'm trying in vain to find any indication in your comment that you read more than the headline.
LLM's exist on a vast gradient of "toolness -> agent".
Sure. You can stretch the word "tool" to mean anything, but here, Hickey is using the words "tool" and "automation" to describe specific things. He defines each word precisely, for the purpose of the points he's making.
Hickey describes a tool as something wielded, usually requiring "control, sensory feedback, intention, intimacy, continuous direction, expertise". Lack of that is automation.
I believe my own use of AI is closer to Hickey's definition of a tool. I'm very involved (for now). But, I'm also certain some use it as automation, flying on vibes, providing vague 30,000 foot prompts and deploying the result to production without understanding the code. Hence, gradient.
That's my interpretation of parent.