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Not everyone is using AI for everything

gabrielweinberg.com

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Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#331

Post by demorro »

targafarian wrote: post #74
aocallaghan17 wrote: post #9

Reminds me of this article: https://www.theverge.com/podcast/917029/software-brain-ai-ba... Software engineers are definitely in a bit of a bubble here. Are we just early adopters who see the value sooner, or does it uniquely benefit software engineering, or do we just like cool automation and we're deluding ourselves that this adds value beyond the cost?

Yes I believe software benefits uniquely, just like building tooling and automating software have long been easier in software than other domains. Humans defined all the rules of the world you live in, humans wrote strict rules in methodically parsable formats. The moment you have to interact with the physical world or humans (psychological, imaginative, aesthetic, etc), there are often undiscovered or changing rules…

It surprises me when people think engineering, software or no, isn't about the physical world of humans, psychological, imaginative, aesthetic or otherwise. Everything I do uses "human stuff" as a base foundation of value. Engineering effort is malformed and invalid without such a thing, and I spend a lot of my time as a technical leader pushing back on people trying to "perform engineering" without connecting to these things.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#332

Post by GlacierFox »

therealdrag0 wrote: post #292
bluefirebrand wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was starting out in my career it was "take the first job offer that comes along or starve/become homeless" so no, sometimes the personal cost would be unreasonably high to expect of anyone This effectively does mean that I was not a moral actor at the time

Naw that’s cope. You make your choices, own them. Would you have stolen or murdered to avoid being homeless? Would that have been a morally blameless act?

Christ - that's a strawman if I ever did see one haha.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#333

Post by monkpit »

GlacierFox wrote: post #329
monkpit wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Privilege, yes. You had the privilege to dedicate time to learning skills required, obtaining an education, probably bias during hiring processes, etc. Even though your position might be the result of effort on your part, you do have to acknowledge that you’re privileged to be in a position to expend that effort on what you want, instead of something else, like finding fresh water daily, or whatever. It’s not sheer w…

How far could you reduce this down? Do you only clap for malnourished Ethiopian babies that can't find waterthat grow up into full silicon Valley software engineers?

You can be dismissive all you want, but the point is to acknowledge you don’t understand everyone’s situation and you can’t make sweeping generalizations like “I did it and I can judge you if you _didn’t_ do it”.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#334

Post by pipes »

emodendroket wrote: post #92
hypfer wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's tough to answer because you want to hedge for both an AI enthused employer and an AI hesitant employer with limited information about who they are and how they personally use these products. Have you considered just answering truthfully? Would you even want to work somewhere where you need to play a role and where they flip out when you say the wrong word you should've correctly guessed through mind reading? T…

I assume it's because he is seeking to pay rent, food bills, and other expenses through employment.

A truthful, nuanced, well reasoned answer will be well received by an employer with a culture you want to work in.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#335

Post by leptons »

simonw wrote: post #255
leptons wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have no doubt that as AI gets more expensive, my employer would lay off more developers to pay for more AI tokens, until there are very few developers left. And the hilariously sad part is, the current developers keep training the AI to do their job. Eventually I expect they will lay off almost all the developers. It really feels like we're going to be stabbing each other in the back just to be the last one to get…

What are they doing to train AI to do their job?

Nobody writes any code any more at all. Nobody even writes Jira tickets anymore. They don't even review code, and I think we're lucky if they even test it. The AI does all of that.

A small group of developers at my company have set up volumes of skill.md and other instructions for the AI to write Jira tickets, then take action on those Jira tickets by writing the code. The AI submits a pull request. Then there's another AI to review the code. They've written the game plan for the AI to do all of this. All the human does now is click "approve" without even reading the PR, and then someone clicks "merge". There's no coding, no critical thinking by a human anymore except for telling the AI what to do... which really anyone at the company could do. I doubt I'll have a job at this company much longer after 8 years employed there.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#336

Post by serial_dev »

simonw wrote: post #295
spoaceman7777 wrote: post #270

It's important to factor in just how many US adults are basically illiterate nowadays. As of 2023, 27% of American working-age adults were at a PIAAC Literacy Level of 1 or below, out of a total of 5 levels. This has gotten drastically worse in the past 10 years as, in 2013, Level 1 and below was only 17%. Full scores for 2023 are: % Level 1 or below: 27% Level 2: 29% Level 3: 31% Level 4/5: 13% For reference, Level…

I lurk on the teachers subreddit and get shown videos by teachers on TikTok and the impression I get from that algorithmic bubble is that the kids can't read any more - reading comprehension in particular is terrible. Lots of anecdotes of kids who can't read a few paragraphs and then answer questions about what was in them.

That subreddit is likely an echo chamber.

You would not judge what people think about politics by only reading comments on a Hasan Piker video (or only on a Nick Fuentes video).

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#337

Post by pipes »

pesus wrote: post #209
reg_dunlop wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's possible to work for an employer, and not have to compromise your values and or professional integrity. The attitude suggested by your response suggests you haven't lived that reality yet. Either way, I'd rather be rejected by an employer for speaking my truth, than lie to be somewhere I'd rather not be.

This a very condescending and privileged comment. The job market is much different when you're just starting out, and it's especially brutal these days for new grads.

The "you don't know what it's like for me" argument swings both ways.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#338

Post by yndoendo »

AI is a tool in a toolbox. It is does not fit all solutions.

Using AI everywhere would be the equivalent of using a screw driver to pick the piece of stuck broccoli out of your teeth. It will cost you more, to fix your teeth, than using a proper tool.

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#339

Post by serial_dev »

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…

Isn’t it because Swift (and SwiftUI, if you used that) changes the recommended approach to solving X every 18 months?

Re: Not everyone is using AI for everything

#340

Post by AlexCoventry »

acc_297 wrote: post #72

On the post-grad job hunt right now - I note that most employers will ask in a technical interview or whiteboard interview "how are you using LLMs?" It's tough to answer because you want to hedge for both an AI enthused employer and an AI hesitant employer with limited information about who they are and how they personally use these products. I've been responding with a sort of long winded answer about how 'there is…

They might not have an answer in mind. They might just be exploring how you adapt to new tools and methods.
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