I answered this to myself - stop worrying about LLMs. It's pretty simple: due to Curry-Howard isomorphism, programming languages are just notations for some type of formal logic.
Now ask yourself a question, what language do you want to maintain the programs in? Do you think natural language is going to be easier and more maintainable than formal logic?
The answer is no. So you need programmers, people who can read the formal description and adapt it to new requirements.
LLMs are amazing technology, but the truth is - natural language just kinda sucks. Therefore, you don't really need them (see also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_effect" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_effect ).
I think people love LLMs for the same reasons they love magicians. But just like the magician employs a hidden trick, LLM just runs some algorithm you don't see or understand.
So worrying about LLMs taking programming job is kinda like worrying that a magician will take a warehouse worker job, because they can levitate stuff. Meanwhile, we already have automated programmer - it's called a compiler.
I totally agree with the skepticism that we'll ever get to a point where natural language becomes the "formalism" and stop needing people who understand the actual formalism underneath. And I agree that you don't need LLM based tools.
But things that you don't need can still be (and often are) incredibly useful. Nobody needs an IDE, nobody needs vim or emacs or bash or even compilers or assemblers.
But we have all those tools and they are useful. That is, their utility is net positive.
Using LLMs to generate code currently also has (wildly) net positive utility. Maybe that will change because some part of the calculation changes. But this is the situation right now.
I might want the REST API for a webshop to be solid, payment and checkout process, sure.
But the UI. So long as the LLM doesn't falsify product information, why customize the layout, theme, look and feel for each and every single customer.
Okay, maybe don't, but point is: you could take bigger risks, you maybe don't need to review UI changes as much.
The bit about "but the UI" sounds like a developer thinking "UI is a solved problem" in the same way MBAs are told "coding is a solved problem".
Product people do seem to think it worth exploring "personalized software for everyone" like literally each person gets their own custom UI. This does sound like a support mess but it's not obviously wrong when you think about the Microsoft Word alternative.
js8 · · focus · HN ↗
Now ask yourself a question, what language do you want to maintain the programs in? Do you think natural language is going to be easier and more maintainable than formal logic?
The answer is no. So you need programmers, people who can read the formal description and adapt it to new requirements.
LLMs are amazing technology, but the truth is - natural language just kinda sucks. Therefore, you don't really need them (see also <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_effect" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_effect ).
I think people love LLMs for the same reasons they love magicians. But just like the magician employs a hidden trick, LLM just runs some algorithm you don't see or understand.
So worrying about LLMs taking programming job is kinda like worrying that a magician will take a warehouse worker job, because they can levitate stuff. Meanwhile, we already have automated programmer - it's called a compiler.
sanderjd · · focus · HN ↗
But things that you don't need can still be (and often are) incredibly useful. Nobody needs an IDE, nobody needs vim or emacs or bash or even compilers or assemblers.
But we have all those tools and they are useful. That is, their utility is net positive.
Using LLMs to generate code currently also has (wildly) net positive utility. Maybe that will change because some part of the calculation changes. But this is the situation right now.
jopsen · · focus · HN ↗
I might want the REST API for a webshop to be solid, payment and checkout process, sure.
But the UI. So long as the LLM doesn't falsify product information, why customize the layout, theme, look and feel for each and every single customer.
Okay, maybe don't, but point is: you could take bigger risks, you maybe don't need to review UI changes as much.
apsurd · · focus · HN ↗
Product people do seem to think it worth exploring "personalized software for everyone" like literally each person gets their own custom UI. This does sound like a support mess but it's not obviously wrong when you think about the Microsoft Word alternative.