alt Hacker NewsI can't help but think that some of the arguments here apply equally well to writing _code_ as they to to other substantive writings.
Writing code is thinking, AI code is often vague and wrong in hard-to-notice ways, and the (human) reader of code is the one that pays the cost for this later.
The cost/benefit analysis may still work out differently for code though...
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I was about to reply with the exact same sentiment. How often may be different from writing but writing code is often thinking.
> I can't help but think that some of the arguments here apply equally well to writing _code_ as they to to other substantive writings.
All of the arguments here apply to writing code; Why would the quality of writing differe when writing prose vs code?
I cannot read LLM slop prose without getting mentally fatigued trying to figure out what it is saying, and I've discovered that the quality of the code it produces has the same effect on me.
I never use AI for writing but do so regularly for code. They are quite different to me.
My reason: code can be checked objectively. I can run it and confirm it works. I don't get attached to it. I don't feel pride in it (even when I write it by hand). Code just is. It's lifeless, inert, and entirely replaceable.
How do I do the equivalent for prose? How can I tell if my words "work"? Do they clearly convey my ideas to the intended audience? There's an element of subjectivity here forces me to identify personally with the prose.
Code has no such personality. I don't tie my identity or ego to code the same way I would an essay.