alt Hacker NewsThere are other places to stay in the loop, while loop engineering. For example at the PR point. I have a post that is nearly done on my blueprint, perhaps it will get some HN love/hate when I share it. :fingerscrossed: Auto-approve in the harness can be fine, but completely eyes-free is a mentality and goal among the people at the top of Ai and some of the tech scene.
But I remain unconvinced, based on what I've seen across many projects, that humans can stop looking at code. A place we see these outcomes regularly is with non-developers trying to use Ai to write code. Cool for side projects, doesn't work for businesses. Ai enhances expertise, it does not make one from amateurs.
Then there is the burnout. I spoke with a friend last night who works at a company who's CTO is pushing the eyes free coding practices. He's tired of babysitting a dozen claudes, the output is of dubious quality (since no one really knows whats in there, especially at the rate they are asked to push changes), made the comment bad developers are still pushing bad code, and that he's looking for a new job. It's completely unsustainable, in his words.
Thanks. Your friend’s experience is concerning, and points to lack of communication and of understanding of the transition process in their organization. Pressure to push tools that people dont yet understand is a horrible idea. Humans can understand and guide good engineering without keeping eyes on the code. The human-in-the-loop coding principles of reviewing committed code and of reading every (eventually any) line of code will not be with us for long.
At a higher level of “loop”, the AI are there for the betterment of human life, and so there is always a human in that loop. But eventually a lot of previous “users” can also become “developers”, if they wish, because the barriers to acquiring knowledge have changed dramatically.