This line made me think by 'normal coding work' the author means doing something they don't understand well enough to be able to distinguish the models' output.
Steve Yegge calls this is the "discernment horizon" - https://steve-yegge.medium.com/the-flat-curve-society-36c8b0...
Steve Yegge calls this is the "discernment horizon" - https://steve-yegge.medium.com/the-flat-curve-society-36c8b0...