Live data from Hacker News

AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

newscientist.com

51–60 of 160 posts

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#51
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, I'm sure many people copy and paste from Stack Overflow. (Not me ofc, I would never:) ) So I guess we are all out of jobs in a couple years...

we'll still have job but we'll be explaining an AI what we're looking for like it's 5.

that sounds pretty easy to debug though

but the verbosity.... it will be a lot of writing, even for a simple function

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#52
post #45

“It could allow non-coders to simply describe an idea for a program and let the system build it” This is not a new thought. The problem with it, however, is that such a description would have to be very precise or else leave room for different interpretations which in turn could lead to very different programs being generated. In particular, as programmers know, it's often the edge cases that pose the main difficulty…

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#53
post #45

“It could allow non-coders to simply describe an idea for a program and let the system build it” This is not a new thought. The problem with it, however, is that such a description would have to be very precise or else leave room for different interpretations which in turn could lead to very different programs being generated. In particular, as programmers know, it's often the edge cases that pose the main difficulty…

Well, I think the are refering to that the computer would solve it's specific problems by itself just as we do as programmers.

I guess that you have worked for someone else as a programmer? Didn't they tell you what they wanted? How did you achieve it? They probably didn't have to write it for you in very specific terms unless a problem occurrs.

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#55
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People pay me... to use StackOverflow haha On a serious note this could potentially suck for developers. Just like the labor jobs and automation. You have a skill set? Well this computer can do your job. I guess be the guy building the code writing the code. I do wonder what will we do when computers do everything for us. I have this motor that moves my neck to a look at a girl who also has a motor that moved her nec…

>I do wonder what will we do when computers do everything for us. Yeah, this is a pretty existential question that has been posed a lot around here. What do you do if you do not have to do anything? It is like vacation, forever. You are free to be lazy, or creative, or adventurous, or somewhere in between, but will you be happier? I have been between significant work for a few months and I am itching to do something…

Maybe, as a species, we've been in this situation before. Perhaps we realized we weren't ready, or never will be, to deal with a world in which all labor is replaced by technology, so we made one last high tech invention to destroy all the technology. The cycle continues!

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#56
post #45

“It could allow non-coders to simply describe an idea for a program and let the system build it” This is not a new thought. The problem with it, however, is that such a description would have to be very precise or else leave room for different interpretations which in turn could lead to very different programs being generated. In particular, as programmers know, it's often the edge cases that pose the main difficulty…

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

making people in an industry more efficient at their jobs == job losses for that industry.

if one programmer can now do the work of 5 with the help of an AI, companies will quickly be hiring less developers.

yet everytime i mention this, im told that "software developers are the one job that will never be at risk of automation"

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

making people in an industry more efficient at their jobs == job losses for that industry. if one programmer can now do the work of 5 with the help of an AI, companies will quickly be hiring less developers. yet everytime i mention this, im told that "software developers are the one job that will never be at risk of automation"

All jobs are at risk of automation. Jobs by themselves are a pointless construct. It is the living that they provide us that is of value. I'm looking forward to the day this is accepted in mainstream political thought.

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#58
post #45

“It could allow non-coders to simply describe an idea for a program and let the system build it” This is not a new thought. The problem with it, however, is that such a description would have to be very precise or else leave room for different interpretations which in turn could lead to very different programs being generated. In particular, as programmers know, it's often the edge cases that pose the main difficulty…

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

But wouldn't you agree that by the same line of reasoning, if you can spec it, you can code it?

I mean, the difficulty lies in specifying what you want in such an unambiguous way that a program that fulfill the specification actually does what you had in mind originally.

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

making people in an industry more efficient at their jobs == job losses for that industry. if one programmer can now do the work of 5 with the help of an AI, companies will quickly be hiring less developers. yet everytime i mention this, im told that "software developers are the one job that will never be at risk of automation"

I would argue that every year programmers ARE more efficient at their jobs with adoption of new tools, frameworks and methodologies. Yet there is still not enough good developers.

Re: AI learns to write its own code by stealing from other programs

#60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can describe something then you can just code it. I can see AI being used in an advanced IDE as an assistant. Just write your specs and let the AI build the app.

making people in an industry more efficient at their jobs == job losses for that industry. if one programmer can now do the work of 5 with the help of an AI, companies will quickly be hiring less developers. yet everytime i mention this, im told that "software developers are the one job that will never be at risk of automation"

> im told that "software developers are the one job that will never be at risk of automation"

The AI is itself a program. If the AI can write programs, it can write a better version of itself. A few iterations of this, and it will have far surpassed human intelligence.

So it would be more accurate to say that writing programs is the last job that will be automated.

Post reply on HN