> the prompt is now the source that needs to be maintained
The inference response to the prompt is not deterministic. In fact, it’s probably chaotic since small changes to the prompt can produce large changes to the inference.
The C compiler will still make working programs every time, so long as your code isn’t broken. But sometimes the code chatgpt produces won’t work. Or it'll kinda work but you’ll get weird, different bugs each time you generate it. No thanks.
Yeah the business surely won't care when we rerun the prompt and the server works completely differently.
> Is the output of your C compiler the same every time you run it
I've never, in my life, had a compiler generate instructions that do something completely different from what my code specifies.
That you would suggest we will reach a level where an English language prompt will give us deterministic output is just evidence you've drank the kool-aid. It's just not possible. We have code because we need to be that specific, so the business can actually be reliable. If we could be less specific, we would have done that before AI. We have tried this with no code tools. Adding randomness is not going to help.
CamperBob2|2 months ago
So? Nobody cares.
Is the output of your C compiler the same every time you run it? How about your FPGA synthesis tool? Is that deterministic? Are you sure?
What difference does it make, as long as the code works?
antiloper|2 months ago
Yes? Because of actual engineering mind you and not rolling the dice until the lucky number comes up.
https://reproducibility.nixos.social/evaluations/2/2d293cbfa...
josephg|2 months ago
Capricorn2481|2 months ago
Yeah the business surely won't care when we rerun the prompt and the server works completely differently.
> Is the output of your C compiler the same every time you run it
I've never, in my life, had a compiler generate instructions that do something completely different from what my code specifies.
That you would suggest we will reach a level where an English language prompt will give us deterministic output is just evidence you've drank the kool-aid. It's just not possible. We have code because we need to be that specific, so the business can actually be reliable. If we could be less specific, we would have done that before AI. We have tried this with no code tools. Adding randomness is not going to help.