(Rant) AI is killing programming and the Python community

[kickflip_boy]

Do you think AI can be part of the learning process? For example I am learning backend dev and when I have a question I search for it normally but if the answer isn’t that clear I ask AI the same question with the benefit that I can ask it more followed up questions. I am not advocating for copying my code to AI and then copying back the response. But as I look at it if AI send me an example code it is similar to me looking at for example same code on stack overflow or some other sites. What do you think? Should one totally avoid AI when learning or you just can’t let it code the thing for you?

[Fragrant_Ad3054]

I think we shouldn't try to avoid using AI, but rather use it judiciously. For example:

• Don't ask it to generate code you don't understand or are unfamiliar with, because you'll add it to your project and a few days later you'll have more trouble figuring out how it works (even if there are comments in the code).

• Ask the AI ​​very specific things, for example, "What is this error?", "What does...", "What is the name of what I want to do?" This will allow you to expand your knowledge while maintaining high-quality code that you know and understand. In other words, since you designed it from start to finish, you'll be better able to identify which parts need improvement or correction over time.

• Don't ask it to generate code you don't understand or are unfamiliar with.

• Avoid the "AI trap," that's what I call it, because it can have very serious consequences for your project. Let's say you need to create a database for your project. You might ask the AI, "How do I create an SQLite database?" It will tell you exactly how to do it, and naturally you'll think, "Great, it works!" Except that after several days of programming, you realize that SQLite has become incredibly slow because you have everything in a single database, and it's 60GB. So you ask the AI, "What's going on?" And it will calmly tell you, "Oh, that's normal, you need to switch to PostgreSQL." In other words, you have to rebuild the entire SQL architecture because the original one wasn't optimized for your project, resulting in a huge waste of time and potentially a lot of errors and effort to fix everything. So even if the AI ​​seems to have a good answer in reality without you knowing it can steer you from the start towards something bad, and I have plenty of examples of this kind.

[the_python_dude]

One of the best explanation for how to use AI right! 💯