Only that the compiler works in a defined algorithmic way that can always be expected to work, at worst it uses more cpu registers than needed or something. AI on the other hand just spews garbage in a fundamentally statistical way and despite the enormous efforts to create tools that manipulate it into working more predictably, it still sucks so much of the time.
Another difference is that you are critically thinking when “instructing” a compiler via the code, but you only convince yourself that you think critically when you’re instructing an AI, it’s not the same and it actively makes you a worse engineer every time you decide to use it instead of thinking.
It’s not the form that’s the issue. It’s the required depth of that thought, when you are actually doing the work yourself you need to go all the way in your thinking otherwise it simply won’t work. When you’re vibe coding, your thinking only goes as far as you see necessary so the AI has enough context to give something useful in return. It’s like comparing the thought process of an analyst and of the engineer that implements the spec, any engineer knows that difference.
Cognitive Surrender. I can feel it happening every time I use this employer-mandated Cursor crap. I’m fighting it as hard as I can. Every AI slop pull request I have to review makes me die a little more inside.
Only that the compiler works in a defined algorithmic way that can always be expected to work, at worst it uses more cpu registers than needed or something. AI on the other hand just spews garbage in a fundamentally statistical way and despite the enormous efforts to create tools that manipulate it into working more predictably, it still sucks so much of the time.
Another difference is that you are critically thinking when “instructing” a compiler via the code, but you only convince yourself that you think critically when you’re instructing an AI, it’s not the same and it actively makes you a worse engineer every time you decide to use it instead of thinking.
“If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.”
It’s not the form that’s the issue. It’s the required depth of that thought, when you are actually doing the work yourself you need to go all the way in your thinking otherwise it simply won’t work. When you’re vibe coding, your thinking only goes as far as you see necessary so the AI has enough context to give something useful in return. It’s like comparing the thought process of an analyst and of the engineer that implements the spec, any engineer knows that difference.
Cognitive Surrender. I can feel it happening every time I use this employer-mandated Cursor crap. I’m fighting it as hard as I can. Every AI slop pull request I have to review makes me die a little more inside.