Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Not everyone is using AI for everything

gabrielweinberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 565 posts

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#31

Post by argee »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #24

> AI has gotten so good that despite any misgivings, “everyone is using A.I.” In my experience, it's a mixed bag. I wrote this comment[0], yesterday. It reflects my current work, and how I am integrating an LLM. I have used it for two parts of my project: 1) The backend (PHP), and 2) The frontend (Swift) It has been a huge help, in both, but #2 is a cautionary tale. It really needs adult supervision, in developing na…

That's just one way to use LLMs though. Recently on a flight I could not figure out how to connect my wife's earphones (i.e. put them in pairing mode) to my macbook since I was used to the old Airpods Pro case. So I asked Gemma4 26B A4B (offline, LM Studio) and was told to use the 'two tap on front of case' gesture, which worked. This situation would have been significantly more frustrating without (local) LLMs. I'm essentially carrying around a basic "how to" on everything, inaccurate though it may be, it's better than nothing.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#32

Post by altern8 »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #24

> AI has gotten so good that despite any misgivings, “everyone is using A.I.” In my experience, it's a mixed bag. I wrote this comment[0], yesterday. It reflects my current work, and how I am integrating an LLM. I have used it for two parts of my project: 1) The backend (PHP), and 2) The frontend (Swift) It has been a huge help, in both, but #2 is a cautionary tale. It really needs adult supervision, in developing na…

Might be because there are less Swift projects to train with.

But I've seen Claude write crazy code in Python and JavaScript, too

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#33

Post by romanovcode »

QuantumNomad_ wrote: post #15
romanovcode wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a contractor who built a lot of predictive systems and workflows in last three years I can tell you that quite often there is a specific request to put AI into it even when it is not needed and would objectively make the system worse, slower and more expensive. The AI psychosis is a real thing.

So then, do you put AI into it anyway because they asked for it, or do you tell them that you won’t do that?

> you tell them that you won’t do that?

Of course I will do that, I get paid for doing that.

Most of the times I can convince that AI is not necessary by showing small PoC flow with AWS diagrams of data flows. This works well especially if the ask comes from technical people.

Other times the C-level interjects (CEO, CFO, sometimes even CTO) and demands that AI should be there. I literally had CEOs send me instagram reels of some AI shovel-sellers to demonstrate that I am wrong and AI is the way to go. No point arguing after that because I have no problem implementing whatever AI they want rather than losing a paying project.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#34

Post by KellyCriterion »

romanovcode wrote: post #5
variety8675 wrote: post #2

I've noticed several companies replacing deterministic systems in their support flows with a LLM version that is slower and worse. Many interfaces simply aren't better with AI added

As a contractor who built a lot of predictive systems and workflows in last three years I can tell you that quite often there is a specific request to put AI into it even when it is not needed and would objectively make the system worse, slower and more expensive. The AI psychosis is a real thing.

Haha, i have a colleague, he is the "AI-is-for-everything-let-me-check-Claude-first":

Regardless which task is handed to him, he "discusses" it first with Claude and very often comes back with like "The AI said... X"

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#35

Post by nutjob2 »

cwnyth wrote: post #19
romanovcode wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a contractor who built a lot of predictive systems and workflows in last three years I can tell you that quite often there is a specific request to put AI into it even when it is not needed and would objectively make the system worse, slower and more expensive. The AI psychosis is a real thing.

Where I work, management hasn't considered integrating AI at all, yet some clients are very vocal about it being the future and worry we are going to be left behind. Most people just don't care, and I worry the squeaky wheel will eventually get the grease.

> worry we are going to be left behind.

I bet lemmings are grateful they were left behind.

It beggars belief that people think that they should rush in some uncertain direction, like some drawbridge is going to be lifted the moment people work out what the right direction is. It's utter stupidity.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#36

Post by wesselbindt »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #24

> AI has gotten so good that despite any misgivings, “everyone is using A.I.” In my experience, it's a mixed bag. I wrote this comment[0], yesterday. It reflects my current work, and how I am integrating an LLM. I have used it for two parts of my project: 1) The backend (PHP), and 2) The frontend (Swift) It has been a huge help, in both, but #2 is a cautionary tale. It really needs adult supervision, in developing na…

Would you describe yourself as more skilled at frontend engineering or at backend engineering?

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#37

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

altern8 wrote: post #32
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #24

> AI has gotten so good that despite any misgivings, “everyone is using A.I.” In my experience, it's a mixed bag. I wrote this comment[0], yesterday. It reflects my current work, and how I am integrating an LLM. I have used it for two parts of my project: 1) The backend (PHP), and 2) The frontend (Swift) It has been a huge help, in both, but #2 is a cautionary tale. It really needs adult supervision, in developing na…

Might be because there are less Swift projects to train with. But I've seen Claude write crazy code in Python and JavaScript, too

My theory is that most of the Swift code in the public domain, is basically demo code. Short, idealized, code samples to demonstrate issues and solutions; much like you would see in StackOverflow.

PHP has huge, entire frameworks and systems, refined over years.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#38

Post by iwontberude »

al_borland wrote: post #17
variety8675 wrote: post #2

I've noticed several companies replacing deterministic systems in their support flows with a LLM version that is slower and worse. Many interfaces simply aren't better with AI added

My management is pushing for us to come up with ideas on where we can use LLMs in our product. The whole team has been very resistant for this exact reason. Anything we can think of will only make things worse, and we’ve already been told anything above a 1-2% failure rate is unacceptable. If anything we need more structure and standards to hit that, not less.

Luckily for programmatic or logic following, smaller models tend to do better, it can be surprising at first to see the more expensive models do worse at a task but it’s true.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#39

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

wesselbindt wrote: post #36
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #24

> AI has gotten so good that despite any misgivings, “everyone is using A.I.” In my experience, it's a mixed bag. I wrote this comment[0], yesterday. It reflects my current work, and how I am integrating an LLM. I have used it for two parts of my project: 1) The backend (PHP), and 2) The frontend (Swift) It has been a huge help, in both, but #2 is a cautionary tale. It really needs adult supervision, in developing na…

Would you describe yourself as more skilled at frontend engineering or at backend engineering?

Definitely frontend (it's what I do, every day, and I enjoy it), but I have a great deal of experience (over 25 years), writing some pretty robust backend stuff. I just don't enjoy it as much.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#40

Post by Zetaphor »

Kuyawa wrote: post #6

[flagged]

I'm someone who uses tens of millions of tokens each month, almost exclusively with open weight models that I run on my own hardware. That said you are taking the wrong approach here, this type of mentality is only going to further radicalize those who have decided they're against this technology.

Additionally when the finally bubble bursts and the executives wake up from psychosis and look to distance themselves from this because it's become a dirty word, you'll be one of the first to go. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down and all that.

I do think there are real benefits and productivity gains with this technology, but it does not benefit everyone equally. It's great for the programming parts of my job, but useless in the other 40% of the work. I have coworkers for whom generative AI has no obvious practical application, and yet management is trying to find a way to shoehorn it in anyway. No doubt because they've also drank the kool-aid and are eager to reduce headcount.

This attitude of it making everything more productive and anyone who doesn't follow will be left behind is not just false, it's cruel and myopic. You're talking about people's livelihood being taken away because a handful of executives decided this is how things should work despite the MASSIVE number of shortcomings and poor product market fit.

Edit: I also almost missed where you're seemingly celebrating the devaluation of human labor as a result of this. Please stop and reflect on how your position may read to someone who is just trying to put food on the table.

Post reply on HN