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AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

simonwillison.net

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Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#151

Post by kvgr »

lietuvis wrote: post #101
kvgr wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just build a programming language in couple of hours, complete with interpreter with claude code. I know nothing about designing and implementing programming languages: https://github.com/m-o/MoonShot .

Took a quick look, this seems like a copy of writing an interpreter in go book by Thorsten Ball, but just much worse. Also using double equals to mutate variables, why?

Also i didn't read that book, if there are similarities in language it must be accident or claude steering me to what he knows. And if its the interpreter design, than it probably if from that book. And they told us, that they don't memorise the material.

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#152

Post by simonw »

looneytoon53 wrote: post #148
simonw wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm paid by my GitHub sponsors, who get a monthly summary of what I've been writing about on the basis that I don't want to put a paywall on my content but I'm happy for people to pay me to send them less stuff. I also make ~$600/month from the ads on my site - run by EthicalAds. I don't take payment to write about anything. That goes against my principals. It would also be illegal in the USA (FTC rules) if I didn't…

[flagged]

?

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#153

Post by [deleted] »

kvgr wrote: post #103
lietuvis wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Took a quick look, this seems like a copy of writing an interpreter in go book by Thorsten Ball, but just much worse. Also using double equals to mutate variables, why?

Just because i wanted it to. I made some design choices that i found interesting.

[deleted]

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#154

Post by ap99 »

falloutx wrote: post #70
ap99 wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious as to what previous group you're comparing yourself (and the rest of us) to. I'm also curious as to what you do, where you do it, and who you work for that makes you feel like you have zero power.

Just a regular senior SDE at one of the Mag7. I can tell you everyone at these companies is replaceable within a day. Even within an hour. Even the head of depts have no power above them, they can be fired on short notice.

What would your version of fair balance of power look like?

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#155

Post by bayindirh »

co_king_3 wrote: post #146
bayindirh wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do not insult P-II w/256 MB of RAM. That thing used to run this demo[0] at full speed without even getting overwhelmed. Except some very well maintained software, some of the mundane things we do today waste so much resources it makes me sad. Heck, the memory use of my IDE peaks at VSCode's initial memory consumption, and I'd argue that my IDE will draw circles around VSCode while sipping coffee and compiling code. >…

No insult intended! Thanks for sharing the demo!

> No insult intended!

Haha, I know. Just worded like that to mean that even a P-II can do many things if software is written well enough.

You're welcome. That demo single-handedly thrown me down the high performance computing path. I thought, if making things this efficient is possible, all the code I'll be writing will be as optimized as it can be as the constraints allow.

Another amazing demo is Elevated [1]. I show its video to someone and ask about the binary and resources size. When they hear the real value, they generally can't believe it!

Cheers!

[1]: https://www.pouet.net/prod.php?which=52938

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#156

Post by latexr »

simonw wrote: post #136
latexr wrote: post #97

> the productivity boost these things can provide is exhausting . What I personally find exhausting is Simon¹ constantly discovering the obvious. Time after time after time it’s just “insights” every person who smoked one blunt in college has arrived at. Stop for a minute! You don’t have to keep churning out multiple blog posts a day, every day. Just stop and reflect . Sit back in your chair and let your mind rest. W…

Writing about "the obvious" is a useful service. Often people doubt what their own experience is telling them until someone else helps confirm their suspicions and put them into words.

Seems you wrote this at the same time I was responding to someone else. Since I addressed that point in the other reply, I link there and quote the relevant section.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46955703#46958713

> There is value in exploring obvious concepts when you’ve thought about them for longer, maybe researched what others before you had to say on the matter, and you can highlight and improve on all of that. Everyone benefits from a thoughtful approach.

I’m not saying “don’t share the obvious”, because what is obvious to one person won’t be for someone else. What I am advocating for is thinking more before doing so. In your posts I have repeatedly seen you advocate for opposing ideas at different (but not too distant) points in time. Often you also share a half-baked thought which only later gets the nuance it requires.

More often than not, it’s clear the thoughts should have been stewed for longer to develop into better, more powerful and cohesive ideas. Furthermore, that approach will truly give you back time and relaxation. I take no pleasure in you being exhausted, that is a disservice to everyone.

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#157

Post by FrankBooth »

co_king_3 wrote: post #64
wiseowise wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully it will be like an Ebola virus, so that everyone will see how deadly it is instead of like smoking where you die of cancer 40 years down the line.

Frankly, it seems more like the Crack epidemic to me.

Save some for the rest of us, king.

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#158

Post by simonw »

latexr wrote: post #156
simonw wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Writing about "the obvious" is a useful service. Often people doubt what their own experience is telling them until someone else helps confirm their suspicions and put them into words.

Seems you wrote this at the same time I was responding to someone else. Since I addressed that point in the other reply, I link there and quote the relevant section. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46955703#46958713 > There is value in exploring obvious concepts when you’ve thought about them for longer, maybe researched what others before you had to say on the matter, and you can highlight and improve on all of…

> In your posts I have repeatedly seen you advocate for opposing ideas at different (but not too distant) points in time.

One of my core beliefs is that "two things can be true at the same time". I write about opposing ideas because they have their own merits.

I believe that most of the criticisms of generative AI are genuine problems. I also believe that generative AI provides incredible value to people who learn how to use it effectively.

I like to think I'm consistent about most of the topics I write about though. Got any examples that stood out to you of my inconsistency?

Re: AI doesn’t reduce work, it intensifies it

#159

Post by ap99 »

wiseowise wrote: post #24
ap99 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This argument has been used against every new technology since forever. And the initial gut reaction is to resist by organizing labor. Companies that succumb to organized labor get locked into that speed of operating. New companies get created that adopt 'the new thing' and blow old companies away. Repeat.

So race to the bottom where you work more and make less per unit of work? Great deal, splendid idea. The only winners here are CEOs/founders who make obscene money, liquidate/retire early while suckers are on the infinite treadmill justifying their existence.

You're describing all technological advances.

I can harvest crops by hand, but a machine can do it 100x faster. I'm not paid 100x though so it's a bad deal - destroy the machines.

The real advantage now that code is cheaper to write is who can imagine the best product.

I'm happy to compete at that level.

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