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rssoconnor | 2 months ago

Let me know when AI can create functions for the secp256k1 library that adds a point in jacobian coordinates to another point in jacobian coordinates, both in variable time and in constant time. i.e. add functions

    void secp256k1_gej_add_gej(secp256k1_gej *r, const secp256k1_gej *a, const secp256k1_gej *b);
and

    void secp256k1_gej_add_gej_var(secp256k1_gej *r, const secp256k1_gej *a, const secp256k1_gej *b);
As with the other functions in the library the parameters r and a are allowed to alias.

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zephen|2 months ago

It probably can't do that.

But neither can most humans.

I admit to being surprised at what it actually can do, pretty much all by itself.

https://arstechnica.com/ai/2025/12/the-ars-technica-ai-codin...

rssoconnor|2 months ago

Sure, I get that most humans aren't programmers, but the thrust of the article here is defending the position that "AI Can Write Your Code. [It Can’t Do Your Job.]" However, this task is literally the sort of code that I write. So if AI cannot do the above task, then AI cannot (yet) write my code.

I don't know what other programmers are doing, but a lot of my time is spent on tasks like this.

Here's another random task: Write an analytic ray - cubic Bézier patch intersection routine based on the based on the "Ray Tracing Parametric Patches", SIGGRAPH 82 paper. This is a task I did as part of my final project for my undergraduate graphics class.

These are both straightforward tasks to take well-described existing algorithms from literature and implement them concretely. Very few design choices to consider. In theory it ought to be right up the alley for what AI is supposedly good for.