Is AI the end of software engineering or the next step in its evolution?
- The author’s experience with ChatGPT to code was reminiscent of “The Monkey’s Paw,” where wishes are granted but at a brutal cost.
- ChatGPT implemented the requested change, but also introduced unrelated lines of code, making it difficult to untangle the output.
- The generated code was often over-engineered and included irrelevant fragments, making it hard to identify usable lines.
- The author wonders if AI-assisted tools like ChatGPT are the next step in software engineering’s evolution or a harbinger of its demise.
- The use of AI in coding raises questions about the future of software development and whether humans will become redundant in the process.
The first time I used ChatGPT to code, back in early 2023, I was reminded of “The Monkey’s Paw,” a classic horror story about an accursed talisman that grants wishes, but always by the most malevolent path – the desired outcome arrives after exacting a brutal cost elsewhere first. With the same humorless literalness, ChatGPT would implement the change I’d asked for, while also scrambling dozens of unrelated lines. The output was typically over-engineered, often barnacled with irrelevant fragments of code. There were some usable lines in the mix, but untangling the mess felt like a detour.
When I started using AI-assisted tools earlier this …
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Q. What is the author’s initial experience with AI-assisted coding tools?
A. The author was reminded of “The Monkey’s Paw” when using ChatGPT to code, suggesting that their first experience was unsettling and humorous.
Q. How does ChatGPT implement changes requested by users?
A. ChatGPT implements changes in a literal and humorless manner, often producing over-engineered output with unrelated lines of code.
Q. What is the author’s perception of the usability of ChatGPT’s output?
A. The author finds it difficult to untangle the mess of code produced by ChatGPT, suggesting that the output is not very usable.
Q. How does the author describe the quality of ChatGPT’s output?
A. The author describes ChatGPT’s output as “over-engineered” and “barnacled with irrelevant fragments of code”.
Q. What literary reference is used to describe ChatGPT’s behavior?
A. The author compares ChatGPT’s literal and humorless implementation to the accursed talisman in “The Monkey’s Paw”, suggesting that it grants wishes but at a malevolent cost.
Q. When did the author start using AI-assisted tools earlier than 2023?
A. Unfortunately, the text does not provide a specific date or time frame for when the author started using AI-assisted tools earlier than 2023.
Q. What is the author’s tone towards AI-assisted coding tools?
A. The author seems to be critical and humorous in their description of ChatGPT and other AI-assisted tools, suggesting that they are not entirely convinced by their potential benefits.
Q. How does the author feel about using AI-assisted tools for coding?
A. The author appears to be ambivalent or even negative towards using AI-assisted tools for coding, citing the difficulties in untangling the output and the malevolent cost of using such tools.
Q. What is the overall theme of the article?
A. The article seems to explore the potential benefits and drawbacks of using AI-assisted coding tools, with a humorous and critical tone.