> So much of programming is just learning a new API or framework.
Once you're good at it in general. I recently witnessed what happens when a junior developer just uses AI for everything, and I found it worse than if a non-developer used AI: at least they wouldn't confuse the model with their half-understood ideas and wouldn't think they could "just write some glue code", break things in the process, and then confidently state they solved the problem by adding some jargon they've picked up.
It feels more like an excavator: useful in the right hands, dangerous in the wrong hands. (I'd say excavators are super useful and extremely dangerous, I think AI is not as extreme in either direction)
It used to (pre-'08 or so) be possible to be "good at Google".
Most people were not. Most tech people were not, even.
Using LLMs feels a ton like working with Google back then, to me. I would therefore expect most people to be pretty bad at it.
(it didn't stop being possible to be "good at Google" because Google Search improved and made everyone good at Google, incidentally—it's because they tuned it to make being "bad at Google" somewhat better, but eliminated much of the behavior that made it possible to be "good at Google" in the process)
Fun fact, I recently started reading Designing LLM Applications[0] (which I'm very much enjoying by the way) and it draws this exact analogy in the intro!
I swear I didn't steal mine from there, LOL. Maybe I'm on the right track if others are noticing similar things about the experience of using LLMs, though.
Yes exactly, I meant it as evidence that there is something to this insight. Also that it stuck with me in the book enough to make the connection when I saw your comment; it's that it struck me as a good point.
Once you're good at it in general. I recently witnessed what happens when a junior developer just uses AI for everything, and I found it worse than if a non-developer used AI: at least they wouldn't confuse the model with their half-understood ideas and wouldn't think they could "just write some glue code", break things in the process, and then confidently state they solved the problem by adding some jargon they've picked up.
It feels more like an excavator: useful in the right hands, dangerous in the wrong hands. (I'd say excavators are super useful and extremely dangerous, I think AI is not as extreme in either direction)