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Watching AI drive Microsoft employees insane (old.reddit.com)

1088 points by laiysb · 436 days ago · 552 comments on HN

Article summary

Microsoft has introduced GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered coding assistant, and some employees are being asked to use it and review its change suggestions on projects. The tool has been met with criticism, with many finding it to be unhelpful and prone to errors. Some developers are concerned that the push for AI-powered coding assistants is driven by management's desire to cut costs and improve the company's image, rather than a genuine attempt to improve the development process. The use of Copilot has been described as 'comically bad' and 'unhelpful' by some developers.

Main themes

  • AI-powered coding assistants
  • Microsoft GitHub Copilot
  • Development process
  • Management push
  • Cost-cutting measures
  • Programming languages
  • Accountability and responsibility

What commenters say

  • The use of AI-powered coding assistants like Copilot is being pushed by management despite its lack of usefulness and potential to hinder the development process.
  • The tool's errors and lack of understanding of the codebase make it difficult for developers to trust and use effectively.
  • Some believe that the push for AI-powered coding assistants is driven by a desire to cut costs and replace human developers, rather than improve the development process.
  • Others argue that the use of AI-powered coding assistants could lead to a 'great convergence' of programming languages, where languages that are easier for AI to understand become more dominant.
  • The effectiveness of AI-powered coding assistants is highly dependent on the language being used, with some languages like C# being particularly challenging for AI to understand.
  • There are concerns that the use of AI-powered coding assistants could lead to a loss of skills and knowledge among human developers, as they become reliant on the tool.
  • Some developers are skeptical of the benefits of AI-powered coding assistants and believe that they are being pushed by management without a clear understanding of their limitations and potential drawbacks.
  • The use of AI-powered coding assistants raises questions about accountability and responsibility, as it can be difficult to determine who is responsible for errors or mistakes made by the tool.