Generative AI as a computer programming assistant

When people talk about using generative AI for writing software, they often liken it to getting help from a junior developer. For me, the bulk of the cost is in reviewing the generated code: for anything that is to reach customers of a reliable product, I want to be sure of what the code means and does. From that perspective, it seems worth noting to me that there's an important distinction among kinds of junior developer.

There are junior developers who are variously confused or careless and, at least until those issues are addressed, they are little use for anything more than rapid prototyping. Separately, there are developers who, while they lack knowledge and experience in software development, they are already disposed toward mathematical engineering: they are analytical, clever, and precise in their work. Code from that kind of junior developer is much more welcome because, as a reviewer, I don't have to spend as much time covering for various kinds of mistake. Their code already makes some sense even if it could be better.

Additionally, if coding assistance is coming from a static AI model rather than from a person then I can't incrementally get better results. With a real person, they can learn from constructive feedback about how they could have written the code differently.

Cross-season cliffhangers, again

Now Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is back with us, I was reminded by the first episode that apparently something is going on. Lots happened and we are in the middle of something and I forgot so much that I didn't even realize we were still with the … well, the relevant alien race. As it is, I started off mostly being happy that I kind of recognized most of the regular crew and had half an idea who most were. At least it mostly made sense as it went on.

Regular readers will know that this isn't the first time I've mentioned this issue. It's been happening at least as far back as the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise which they ended in the middle of some plot involving time travel and changing the timeline and whatnot which I had no hope of jumping right back into so very many months later. Still, goodness, why are the programme makers still doing this? Or is it just me who starts the new season finding myself in the middle of some long-forgotten multi-threaded plot?

At least, the consolation is that, had such shows been cancelled, I wouldn't have been troubled by the lack of resolution because I didn't remember what was going on anyway.