AI is not another abstraction because god plays dice
15 hours ago
- AI-assisted coding is often compared to historical programming abstractions (machine code to assembly to high-level languages), but this analogy is flawed.
- Abstractions like compilers are deterministic: same input always yields same output, predictable and trustworthy.
- Current AI is probabilistic, not deterministic; it behaves like a contractor who interprets high-level specs with variability, not a compiler.
- Delegating to AI means losing the deterministic control inherent in traditional abstraction layers (e.g., inline assembly, LLVM extensions).
- Critiques of AI are not anti-AI; they call for healthy conversation rather than blind adoption, acknowledging AI's utility while recognizing its limitations.