nixCraft 🐧Feb 28, 2024
If anyone, especially the Nvidia CEO, tells you not to teach your kids maths, science, coding, art, or personal finance. Ignore him and do the opposite of what he is saying. Teach your kids the skills they need to thrive. Embrace education for all kids. By encouraging critical thinking and a love of learning, you give your kids powerful tools to shape their futures, which also helps build strong nations.
Show threadEugenia LFeb 28, 2024

@nixCraft He didn't say to not teach kids math or science. He specifically said to not teach kids coding. I'm an ex-programmer myself, and I agree with him in this day and age.

"Teach your kids the skills they need to thrive."

Exactly. And that can't be done with coding in the age of AI. Not anymore. 20 years ago, yes, I'd say go for it. But not today.

Today, you need to pick careers that AI won't touch for another 20 years. After that time, all bets are off anyway, as robotics is coming too.

Show threadTobias DenkingerFeb 28, 2024
@eugenialoli
The chief problem with code is not that it takes long to write, but that its quality is bad (and we therefore have to debug a lot). I can see how an LLM may be writing code faster. I don't see how an LLM can write better code. After all, the LLM learned to write code from examples of human code and has, in contrast to a human, no way of reflecting on what it has learned.
@nixCraft
Show threadEugenia LFeb 28, 2024
@denki @nixCraft Only a few software houses will care about "better" code, most would care about "faster-written" code. That way, they can reduce costs. This alone, makes the chance of someone young getting employed very slim, making the advice of "don't become a coder in the age of AI", a sound advice. You can still learn to code for fun, sure. But not to make a good buck.
Show threadTobias DenkingerFeb 28, 2024
@eugenialoli
Writing worse code faster is cheaper only in the short term. It produces technical debt that will have to be paid later. Many managers don't care about that because the problem is not big enough with human programmers that care about their craft. The problem will, however, become big enough to care once AI produces enough code.
@nixCraft
Show threadEugenia L
@denki @nixCraft I replied on this in the thread elsewhere. Some crucial code will use humans. The majority will just use low quality AI code. Because it'd be commodified to pieces.
Feb 28, 2024 at 1:55pmWeb
Show threadFish Id Wardrobe ⁂Feb 28, 2024
@eugenialoli @denki @nixCraft That ... wouldn't help. A bug in *any* of the code can be disastrous. It *all* has to be free of (serious) bugs.
Show threadAndreas RilingerFeb 28, 2024
@eugenialoli @denki @nixCraft I predict that AI with the help of a mediocre programmer but good project planner will soon be better at coding than 99 % of coders without AI. AI and a Human is the key. But this human does not need to be the perfect programmer.
Show threadTobias DenkingerFeb 29, 2024
@monkeyofhope
I agree. An AI assistant could be very helpful. It can detect things like "You are rewriting code that may already be present in library X." or "You are writing repetitive code. Consider using generics or generating the code." or even "The way you are using pointers here may be dangerous for the user of the function. Consider managing the pointer in the library."
@eugenialoli @nixCraft
Show threadKrupoFeb 29, 2024
@eugenialoli @denki @nixCraft counterpoint: any system with garbage code like that will be failed by IT auditors and people trying to push such "AI solutions" for anything more important than a window display unit will get pilloried for doing so.