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I've started to notice that many of the most "critical"/"skeptical"/"practical" takes on AI are so steeped in pro-AI framing that they immediately give away the plot. They can't say a sideways word without first rolling out platitudes as if to calm the pro-AI before the mildest take.

It’s honestly really hard to not fall in the AI trap.. and I for one am definitely guilty of just giving in. And that’s hard because I want to make things with my own hands and some things I absolutely can. It unfortunately has made it too easy to just “make something” and that placates the brain…

It works but I also spend 80% of my time turning something that works into something that isn't a sprawling confusing mess. Believe me, I love it and respect it and appreciate it! Still a huge help! But also!

I think above all else the second order effects of having kids and young people exposed to the “no need to use your brain” machine will be the most enduring of all the problems. We’re only just coming to terms with how much damage social media did.

It’s way to easy to just be like “yup, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, I have 0 mental bandwidth, Claude go ahead and implement my vision.” And the exhaustion of doing everything else makes you more susceptible to accepting code that is just okay. I have too many projects of just okay code.

It’s very much the magic wish granting machine for programming, and if we don’t achknowledge that it actually can work then any arguments against it are from a fundamentally different reality than that of those who’ve bought in/become addicted.

It can work, but the externalities are so hidden or subsidized that people using it don't see the true cost. & Not just in terms of money, but resources, time, attention, critical thinking, and more. It's being sold as the solution to everything in the most addictive way.