Me typing into emacs is also not replicable, until I git push. Me with emacs and a good coding LLM can generate systems that I see as good, in my extensive professional judgement. For coding, for production grade code, the LLM will mostly be a tool in the hands of the professional. There is a new category of disposable code, which I think will be useful for many adhoc investigations; in neither case is replicability a serious requirement.
I do a lot of guessing and validating in learning maths. It is pretty efficient way to build that conceptual understanding. I even try to predict the next big theorem as I am listening to a lecture or reading a text book. It's engaging.
And honestly, I am enjoying learning this new way to make code I am pleased with. Using the LLM effectively and for quality deliverables is different from typing in many surface ways, but modularity of thought, iterative design and implementation, simplicity and generality, documentation, all still pay off.
These conversations always veer into “well I find it useful so I disagree.” I’m not saying anything about utility, I just think that system prompting is still very much hopes and prayers. We’re having a discussion about whether or not it’s a hard skill one can learn, I think that’s incredibly debatable