logoalt Hacker News

ModernMechtoday at 7:25 PM1 replyview on HN

Yes, it turns out that using these machines is a littler harder than "make me the thing I want, make no mistakes, do it the way I want you to do it". This isn't "prompt better" advice, it's just to say that you can't simply set it and forget it. There is still engineering work to be done. If you're not watching the thinking traces and catching when it's about to go off the rails, it'll gladly do so. But you can stop it and redirect it.

It's like a Tesla fsd; it kind of works but you have to be vigilant since it's been known to turn into oncoming traffic, so you have to be ready and able to take over at any time.

Or maybe think of it like a roomba. You can put it on your floor and eventually it will clean the whole thing. It will do it inefficiently, vacuuming over the same spot 30 times; and the actual work will involve wandering around and bumping into everything. If the stairs are not blocked off it will plunge right off. But those shortcomings don't mean it can't be used to reliably clean the floors.


Replies

Firaxustoday at 10:18 PM

Or it’s like being an engineering manager, where poor direction on your part results in the team chasing rainbows and unicorns in an attempt to please you. But sure, it’s the tool’s fault!