4 ms·

We miscommunicated. First, I think LLMs are a problem for newcomers in general, there is a lot of intuition that I saw that you build while tinkering at 3 A.M w

We miscommunicated. First, I think LLMs are a problem for newcomers in general, there is a lot of intuition that I saw that you build while tinkering at 3 A.M which makes programming easier in the long run, at least for me. For someone who invested enough time on that, such as you, can easily spot where LLMs fail and already have the knowledge to make the cogs turn. I clarified where I think LLMs are harmful at a sibling comment. This is where I think LLMs obstruct learning. 'Domain knowledge' is an important keystone for agentic coding that bypass this. As for 'looking cool', I meant the code with its fancy formats and highlighting, no snark intended :) LLMs are a great tool for building, especially for those who could conceivably be engineer team leads/project managers. For greenfield learning, its sub-par unless its guided well.

Scubabear68 18d ago
I appreciate the comment. I agree that LLMs can be a significant issue with new comers to the field, and their use in replace of foundational learning is causing real concerns for me and my company specifically. I have found the LLMs work best where I have some knowledge already, and I can spot the gaffes and mistakes more quickly. It has to be rough on people flying them blind, as it were. Unrelated but I have tried out LLMs on some legal research, and it has been appallingly bad. The LLMs get the gist of a lot of it, but falls down completely because the legal realm requires a certain amount of exactitude. Time and time again I will ask about laws in a certain U.S. State, and it will show me a law from Arizona or something which has no or limited applicability (you can try to cross reference other State laws in certain State courts, but usually that doesn't go very far unless it is a very novel argument). You hit the nail on the head with the fancy outputs, I am guilty as charged there. The LLMs are frankly better at it then I am.

Scubabear68 18d ago

I appreciate the comment. I agree that LLMs can be a significant issue with new comers to the field, and their use in replace of foundational learning is causing real concerns for me and my company specifically. I have found the LLMs work best where I have some knowledge already, and I can spot the gaffes and mistakes more quickly. It has to be rough on people flying them blind, as it were. Unrelated but I have tried out LLMs on some legal research, and it has been appallingly bad. The LLMs get the gist of a lot of it, but falls down completely because the legal realm requires a certain amount of exactitude. Time and time again I will ask about laws in a certain U.S. State, and it will show me a law from Arizona or something which has no or limited applicability (you can try to cross reference other State laws in certain State courts, but usually that doesn't go very far unless it is a very novel argument). You hit the nail on the head with the fancy outputs, I am guilty as charged there. The LLMs are frankly better at it then I am.