@AndyL That is a fascinating perspective, eye opening to me. I think being immersed in the particular hype-environment shaped by my peers in a professional setting has been limiting ~ the focus so far being mostly on the “best of the best” corporate offerings for code generation, rather than investment in what not-for-profit, non-pay-to-play projects have to offer. This viewpoint (from another thread, linked above by @AstonJ) is persuasive and dystopic to me:
and a few paragraphs later
From this perspective, engaging with these technologies feels essential, despite any ethical complexities or concerns. Idealistically sticking to the status-quo and attempting to practice the craft as if AI didn’t exist starts to feel like a “head in the sand” approach. Thank you for the project recommendations, gives a great starting point for exploration.
@dogweather Thanks for your thoughts and experiences on all this. Public Law is looking like an incredible project! Perfect example of why these tools shouldn’t be ignored ~ if they lead to the creation of projects like this, which (I’m speculating based on what you’ve said) may not exist otherwise, ignoring them would feel basically against the “greater good.” You’ve also helped me understand why the recently evolving landscape is empowering to individual builders, something that is extremely appealing. As much as I may be concerned for the future of my profession, if there’s a silver lining in that independently-developed projects become more feasible, that’s a strong balancing factor (and a strong reason to engage with this genre of tools now rather than later). On your question about learning from AI in everyday life, your examples are eye-opening and perhaps I’m just somewhat a luddite. I try (and have constant trouble) detaching from laptop/phone when I’m not actively working (professionally or creatively). The ability to scan nutrition data is particularly compelling though.
@zachdaniel Thank you for your perspective! And also for Ash ~ it’s been on my radar, fascinating project which I’ll definitely be taking for a spin one of these days (though, probably alongside Phoenix, and establishing some strong foundations there first has seemed important). Agreed this all feels up in the air… part of the disorienting effects of the current landscape. I’m a bit more worried about beginners feeling pressured to lean into AI tools short-term (pressure which I’m already starting to feel in various ways), which ends up forming the bad habits they find hard/impossible to shake long-term. The reality of what you’re being told to do right now feels more immediate than the future repercussions, which are hard to quantify or maybe even see at all. I can see why it may be in the corporate interest to push for increased AI usage, but I’m still unconvinced it’s in the interest of us individuals looking for personal growth as well.
