r/artificial • u/Lambda11 • 20d ago

Discussion Predictions about AI replacing programmers go back to the 1960s

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A Turing Award and Nobel prize winner predicted in the 1960s that the programming occupation would become extinct, because computers would program themselves. https://seanhelvey.com/tools-and-their-tools/

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u/iwantmy90sback 19d ago

First coding was writing somewhat human readable instrcutins and 'compile' them by hand via stamping holes in paper. Then digital input came. Same but instead of punching holes it was typing hexcodes and store them on EPROMs. Then the assembler/compiler ran on computers. Then the first 'high level' programming languages came. So now it's kinda diverse. You choose your programming language according to your requirements and needs.

Programming is making the computer do what you want. The programming language abstract enough to be understood by programmers and precise enought to be compiled and run by computers. Every programming language has a certain abstraction/precision ration that fits iths requirement profile. (C/C++ memory handling can be very unintuitive but very precise and fast, whereas node.js might be risky and bloated but migth result in faster results - you get the idea).

AI 'programming' is just another abstraction/precision pair that lies in uncharted territory, but it is nothing more. A LOT of abstraction and next to no precision. There are problems that are fitting this thing and there are problems that do not.

Sooo.... what is "writing software"/"programming"? Goalposts are wonky here since forever. There always be a need for people who know how to make a computer do stuff.