I'd like to comment on the common "AI is just a tool" thing: I'm a woodworker by training & that means a lot of machines - but almost every craftsperson knows how to do their job with hand tools, or "lesser" machines.

[downes@mastodon.social]

@Wifiwits @jwcph

Dump trucks are a tool. If we lose dump trucks, then we no longer have the ability & skills required to move large loads of gravel. Therefore, according to the general principle cited ( "If loss of a tool = loss of your skill & knowledge, then that tool isn't an asset, it's a liability") it follows that dump trucks are a liability.

But, of course, dump trucks are not a liability. They make it possible to do what we could not do before. Same with LLMs.

[downes@mastodon.social]

@jwcph What kind of response is that?

[varpie@peculiar.florist]

@jwcph That just validates my opinion on LLMs: they are just a tool, and if you can't code without them you shouldn't depend on them in the first place.
In a way, they are a multiplier: they can make a good coder more efficient, but for someone that doesn't know what they're doing they will just result in a lot more bad output. Just like an efficient saw can help a good woodworker, but also result in a lot more wood scraps if used by an unskilled one.

I do agree that the reliance on a handfull of companies is bad though. Since it takes so much resources, it's not like anyone can build a decent LLM, so the competition just isn't there, unlike other tools where there are usually many good options.