2 months ago
- The Tower of Babel story illustrates that technological progress relies on coordination through a shared language, not just tools or knowledge.
- Large software projects are limited by coordination and shared understanding, not just individual coding speed.
- The shared language in software includes common understanding of concepts, boundaries, invariants, ownership, and system design, often maintained through documentation, code reviews, and conversations.
- AI-assisted programming removes friction in code changes but risks eroding the shared architectural understanding among developers.
- In AI-assisted engineering, construction can continue even as shared understanding collapses, unlike in the Babel story where construction stops, leading to a disorienting lack of immediate failure.