7 ms·

Ask HN: Do we even need code anymore?

6 points by lasky 3mo ago

No one looks at code anymore. English -> Binary.

JumpinJack_Cash 3mo ago
All the people who choose a foreign language over coding are being vindicated. AI and tech will never be able to make that look not uncanny in a business or social interaction, whereas it is making a non 10x coder redundant as we speak.
- mmarian 3mo ago
  Have a look at translators; then you'll see real impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OovTIngZtCY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OovTIngZtCY
  - JumpinJack_Cash 3mo ago
    The real important stuff happens in person , that's how you solidify relationships and commitment to each other , AI and tech will never substitute that, you either can speak Spanish when you head to Mexico City to close a deal or not
beardyw 3mo ago
Good luck when it goes wrong.
- lasky 3mo ago
  why can't AI solve that too?
  - jryan49 3mo ago
    If you're made of money sure and then the cases it can't fix I guess you're just stuck.
    - lasky 3mo ago
      token cost will keep dropping toward zero
HeyLaughingBoy 3mo ago
I had a similar thought and posted a question. Looks like I put it in the wrong place!
kamphey 3mo ago
Did we ever code?
- lasky 3mo ago
  not me.
jryan49 3mo ago
Can AI actually read binary code and change it?
- lasky 3mo ago
  Yes. If all you need is a comprehensive suite of evals / unit tests to determine if something functions correctly, and AI can quickly figure out how to change it so you get to the end result, then... seems like we won't need all these programming languages.
  - jryan49 3mo ago
    I would think modern optimized binaries would be too complicated for current LLMs to handle. LLMs currently get overwhelmed with large code bases, imagine turning that all into binary.
Akimsa3 3mo ago
Nothing ever dissapears just becomes systematically implemented and gets relegated but not disappear until something that does the job better appears, but doesn't dissapear electronic didn't push mechanic out, they both do different things, that's the beauty of it.
- lasky 3mo ago
  I like this analogy. But am having trouble applying it here. switchboards? gone. horses? still around but basically entertainment. handmade clothes? luxury good. Each and every one of us has a software factory at home. Wild! Does it even make sense to call it software anymore ? It’s basically liquidware.
  - Akimsa3 3mo ago
    I think cause nothing better has appear when something better appears, something faster it gets pushed away and goes into darkness, sometime they become relegated, sometime they comeback, sometime something better appears that's progress.
avian 3mo ago
I just spent the better part of the week looking at code. I guess I'm the last one.
CM30 3mo ago
If you really trust the AI that much, I guess not. But personally I not only like to be able to debug issues with the code generated, but make my own changes on top of that. Programming things is kinda fun in of itself, and the idea of just leaving a machine to do it all for me just doesn't sit right here.
mikewarot 3mo ago
I think it would be wise to heed the lessons of "The Machine Stops", a short story from 1909.[1,2] I personally, want to learn as much as possible about infrastructure, and how to build and maintain it. I spend quite a bit of time helping a friend repair old electronics. We've even repaired Cesium beam atomic clocks! It would be quite foolish to give up coding as a human skill. For me, being a full stack developer goes all the way back to knowing how use sticks and sharpened stones to build bricks, roof tiles, and shelter, as John Plant documents so well on his YouTube channel[3]. (Turn on subtitles!) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops [2] https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/Machine_stops.pdf https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/... [3] https://www.youtube.com/@primitivetechnology9550 https://www.youtube.com/@primitivetechnology9550
rishabhpoddar 3mo ago
We do need code, cause humans can't read and understand binary. Let's say, even if we do get perfect English -> Binary, often times what people specify in english can be vague or just not what they actually meant. So if the AI just outputs binary, it will get very difficult to be sure that what is implemented is actually what the user meant.
- lasky 3mo ago
  but if the AI can just fix it…

6 points by lasky 3mo ago

No one looks at code anymore. English -> Binary.

All the people who choose a foreign language over coding are being vindicated. AI and tech will never be able to make that look not uncanny in a business or social interaction, whereas it is making a non 10x coder redundant as we speak.

mmarian 3mo ago
Have a look at translators; then you'll see real impact: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OovTIngZtCY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OovTIngZtCY
- JumpinJack_Cash 3mo ago
  The real important stuff happens in person , that's how you solidify relationships and commitment to each other , AI and tech will never substitute that, you either can speak Spanish when you head to Mexico City to close a deal or not

beardyw 3mo ago

Good luck when it goes wrong.

lasky 3mo ago
why can't AI solve that too?
- jryan49 3mo ago
  If you're made of money sure and then the cases it can't fix I guess you're just stuck.
  - lasky 3mo ago
    token cost will keep dropping toward zero

HeyLaughingBoy 3mo ago

I had a similar thought and posted a question. Looks like I put it in the wrong place!

kamphey 3mo ago

Did we ever code?

lasky 3mo ago
not me.

jryan49 3mo ago

Can AI actually read binary code and change it?

lasky 3mo ago
Yes. If all you need is a comprehensive suite of evals / unit tests to determine if something functions correctly, and AI can quickly figure out how to change it so you get to the end result, then... seems like we won't need all these programming languages.
- jryan49 3mo ago
  I would think modern optimized binaries would be too complicated for current LLMs to handle. LLMs currently get overwhelmed with large code bases, imagine turning that all into binary.

Akimsa3 3mo ago

Nothing ever dissapears just becomes systematically implemented and gets relegated but not disappear until something that does the job better appears, but doesn't dissapear electronic didn't push mechanic out, they both do different things, that's the beauty of it.

lasky 3mo ago
I like this analogy. But am having trouble applying it here. switchboards? gone. horses? still around but basically entertainment. handmade clothes? luxury good. Each and every one of us has a software factory at home. Wild! Does it even make sense to call it software anymore ? It’s basically liquidware.
- Akimsa3 3mo ago
  I think cause nothing better has appear when something better appears, something faster it gets pushed away and goes into darkness, sometime they become relegated, sometime they comeback, sometime something better appears that's progress.

avian 3mo ago

I just spent the better part of the week looking at code. I guess I'm the last one.

CM30 3mo ago

If you really trust the AI that much, I guess not. But personally I not only like to be able to debug issues with the code generated, but make my own changes on top of that. Programming things is kinda fun in of itself, and the idea of just leaving a machine to do it all for me just doesn't sit right here.

mikewarot 3mo ago

I think it would be wise to heed the lessons of "The Machine Stops", a short story from 1909.[1,2] I personally, want to learn as much as possible about infrastructure, and how to build and maintain it. I spend quite a bit of time helping a friend repair old electronics. We've even repaired Cesium beam atomic clocks! It would be quite foolish to give up coding as a human skill. For me, being a full stack developer goes all the way back to knowing how use sticks and sharpened stones to build bricks, roof tiles, and shelter, as John Plant documents so well on his YouTube channel[3]. (Turn on subtitles!) [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops [2] https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/Machine_stops.pdf https://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~koehl/Teaching/ECS188/PDF_files/... [3] https://www.youtube.com/@primitivetechnology9550 https://www.youtube.com/@primitivetechnology9550

rishabhpoddar 3mo ago

We do need code, cause humans can't read and understand binary. Let's say, even if we do get perfect English -> Binary, often times what people specify in english can be vague or just not what they actually meant. So if the AI just outputs binary, it will get very difficult to be sure that what is implemented is actually what the user meant.

lasky 3mo ago
but if the AI can just fix it…