'If you can't build a TODO list app using only punchcards, then you can't do your job...'
Obviously our ambitions expand due to better tools. I now commit to and deliver much more work than before LLMs, and — before then — ditto for frontend frameworks, generation 4 languages etc.
There are projects I now start without thinking twice that I never would have considered a few years ago.
That's what productivity looks like, and it makes you more valuable, and your job more secure (up until the ASI kills us all...).
It makes you less valuable and your job less secure because as LLMs improve, the level of knowledge/skill required goes down, thus putting more people at the level of "good enough", which is generally what companies optimize for over time with regards to hiring (least amount for good enough).
> There are projects I now start without thinking twice that I never would have considered a few years ago.
I'm sick of seeing this argument because it's not as persuasive as you think. If you were incapable of doing it before, why would I ever trust that you could properly evaluate the result? Even if I did, it's still like saying, "I never would've been able to do this project without a subordinate that knew how to do it, now look at me!" Okay? So why would I choose you when it sounds like I could pick anyone with basic programming knowledge to manage the subordinate since I clearly don't need someone with the know-how to do the thing, just someone capable of wrangling a coding agent? Might as well get the cheapest college CS graduate I can find.
Most people making this argument aren’t saying they were incapable of doing the project without AI, they’re saying the cost benefit equation was unfavorable because it would take too long.
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Trying two things and giving up. It's like opening a REPL for a new language, typing some common commands you're familiar with, getting some syntax errors, then giving up.
You need how to learn to use your tools to get the best out of them!
Start by thinking about what you'd need to tell a new Junior human dev you'd never met before about the task if you could only send a single email to spec it out. There are shortcuts, but that's a good starting place.
In this case, I'd specifically suggest:
1. Write a CLAUDE.md listing the toolchains you want to work with, giving context for your projects, and listing the specific build, test etc. commands you work with on your system (including any helpful scripts/aliases you use). Start simple; you can have claude add to it as you find new things that you need to tell it or that it spends time working out (so that you don't need to do that every time).
2. In your initial command, include a pointer to an example project using similar tech in a directory that claude can read
3. Ask it to come up with a plan and ask for your approval before starting
Eh. This is true for humans too and doesn’t make humans useless at evaluating business plans or other things.
You just want the signal from the object level question to drown out irrelevant bias (which plan was proposed first, which of the plan proposers are more attractive, which plan seems cooler etc.)
Very good question. Currently, I’ve only sourced power supplies that meet US standards. However, I’m confident I can provide a power supply that works for Australia as well.
When you are placing the order, make sure you put the shipping address to Australia address and so that I will know I need to source corresponding power supply.
For what it's worth, I wasn't able to pick an address outside of the United States when it still had units for sale. If you want a first international sale, I'm estsauver at gmail dot com and would be thrilled to be your first customer from The Netherlands.
Another way to phrase this is LLM-as-compiler and Python (or whatever) as an intermediate compiler artefact.
Finally, a true 6th generation programming language!
I've considered building a toy of this with really aggressive modularisation of the output code (eg. python) and a query-based caching system so that each module of code output only changes when the relevant part of the prompt or upsteam modules change (the generated code would be committed to source control like a lockfile).
I think that (+ some sort of WASM encapsulated execution environment) would one of the best ways to write one off things like scripts which don't need to incrementally get better and more robust over time in the way that ordinary code does.
I think that commenter was disagreeing with this line:
> because omniscient-yet-dim-witted models terminate at "superhumanly assistive"
It might be that with dim wits + enough brute force (knowledge, parallelism, trial-and-error, specialisation, speed) models could still substitute for humans and transform the economy in short order.
Sorry, I can't edit it any more, but what I was trying to say is that if the authors are correct, that this distinction is philosophically meaningful, then that is the conclusion. If they are not correct, then all their papers on this subject are basically meaningless.
Obviously our ambitions expand due to better tools. I now commit to and deliver much more work than before LLMs, and — before then — ditto for frontend frameworks, generation 4 languages etc.
There are projects I now start without thinking twice that I never would have considered a few years ago.
That's what productivity looks like, and it makes you more valuable, and your job more secure (up until the ASI kills us all...).
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