LLM spam, ironically

>Reviewing LLM output requires constant context-switching between "what does this code do" and "is this what I actually wanted."

Best way I've seen it framed

I've always preferred brownfield work. In the past I've said "it's easier to be an editor than an author" to describe why. I think you're on to something. For me the new structure's cognitively easier, but it's not faster. Might even be slightly slower.

Actually I find verification pretty lightweight, because I tend to decompose tasks intended for AI to a level where I already know the "shape" of the code in my head, as well as what the test cases should look like. So reviewing the generated code and tests for me is pretty quick because it's almost like reading a book I've already read before, and if something is wrong it jumps out quickly.

That said I have a different theory for why AI coding can be exhausting: the part where we translate concrete ideas into code, where the flow state usually occurs, is actually somewhat meditative and relaxing. But with that offloaded to AI, we're left mostly alternating between the cognitively intense idea-generation / problem-solving phases, and the quick dopamine hits of seeing things work: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46938038

Great post.

So the people who are claiming huge jumps in productivity in the workplace, how are they dealing with this 'review fatigue'?