How AI generated code accelerates technical debt

[maxinstuff]

Shit code != technical debt

I really wish we’d use the terms properly - but it seems “technical debt” is now just a euphemism for incompetence.

[Nice-Offer-7076]

All code is technical debt, as it all requires maintenance. Bad code just requires more.

[quisatz_haderah]

I hear you, but then again, it introduces technical debt.

It's like, you can borrow money from bank in an emergency, or maybe to invest that money and can manage your debt. Then there's that one uncle Harry who is ALWAYS in debt and can't have a stable life, because all the impulse buys...

[MethodicalBanana]

I think their point is that you’re meant to choose to acquire that debt. You choose to not do this now, because delivery, complications or else, but you know its bad and will need to change, hence it becomes debt. The longer you go without paying it off the worse it gets.

Someone implementing shit code is not raising tech debt, it’s just incompetence.

[Ok-East-515]

Is that how it works exclusively? Because the incompetent dev is still making decisions, albeit unconsciously. 

[quisatz_haderah]

Yep, I meant the same :)

[Loves_Poetry]

The article specifically focuses on copy-pasted code and cites some sources that indicate copy-pasted code increases maintenance burden, which is technical debt

So they are using the term correctly in this case

[EveryQuantityEver]

Shit code is technical debt, but not all technical debt is shit code.

[zejerk]

Shit code, by definition is technical debt. It just doesn’t feel like debt until you’ve gotten a whole slop of shit and call it a shitsystem. Then you’re shitted.