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febusravenga | 1 month ago

> Using this stuff well is a deep topic. These things can be applied in so many different ways, and to so many different projects. The best asset you can develop is an intuition

You're basically saying that using LLMs is like using magic. Telling people to use intuition is basically telling that i don't know how it works and why, but works for me sometimes.

That's why we programmers hate it - we have safe space where there's no intuition - namely programming languages & runtimes with deterministic behavior. And we're shoehorned back into mess of magic/intuition and wishfullthinking.

(yes, i try llm, i have some results, i'm frustrated mostly by people AI-slopping _everything_ around me)

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simonw|1 month ago

Oddly enough I wrote about the magic analogy and why I stopped using is a few years ago (pre-ChatGPT, even): https://simonwillison.net/2022/Oct/5/spell-casting/

I am eternally frustrated that "intuition" is the key skill people need to work effectively with LLMs, because it's something I can't teach people! If I could figure out how to download my intuition into other people's heads I would do that.

Instead I have to convince people that intuition is key, and the only way to get it is to invest in experimenting.

theshrike79|1 month ago

It's like any other power tool. It requires skill to use it safely and efficiently.

Anyone can use a band saw to cut things. Then go look what Jimmy DiResta makes with one and you see the difference.

The chance of an inexperienced person cutting off their finger with a bandsaw is also way over zero, there are things you should not and must not do with it. As with any power tool.

hahahahhaah|1 month ago

Intuition is the wrong word IMO. Tacit knowledge is the thing. Knowledge that is hard to communicate and needs experience.

Problem with AI is it isn't woodwork. The material keeps changing!