AI Ops: Data Laundering, and Your Skills Are the Dirty Data

Are Software Developers Like Artists, and Is AI Stealing Your Work, Too?

 As a Software Engineer by trade, I am classically trained in computer science and disciplined in my craft. Yet, beyond the confines of my profession, I've always identified myself as an Artist at heart. Over the years, I have created more than 300 pieces of art using oil and mixed media, nurturing a deep-seated belief that software development, much like traditional art, is an artistic endeavor at its core. It's about creatively finding solutions, about seeing the world in code and color alike.

Software Development at its core is much like traditional art, as it an artistic endeavor at its core. It's about creatively finding solutions, about seeing the world in code and color alike. 

I recently encountered two videos that have left me pondering deeply. The first video presents a daunting perspective for artists who earn their livelihood through commercial art, suggesting that they might face significant challenges ahead. On the other hand, the second video adopts a more optimistic viewpoint, proposing that artificial intelligence will actually foster the creation of more artists. It's not for me to decide which perspective is more valid; I leave that judgment up to you.

Data Laundering: How Your Skill Set Is Being Digitized and Monetized as Part of a Collective Business Agenda.

WARNING: Terrifying Event 

This video is terrifying for those artist that make a living doing commercial art, and should be as disturbing to a Software Developer as we as a gild are entering the Gilded age of Software Development. 

AI vs Artists - The Biggest Art Heist in History

Generative AI can be called many things depending on your point of view: machine, thief, tool, medium, collaborator, muse and even artist. In this video, I will try to find answers to a lot of complex things and I will attempt to judge this technology with an open mind. In the last couple of weeks, I spoke to many amazing artists and scientists about my mixed feelings about generative AI. Join me to hear their thoughts, my advice to creators and predictions on what’s to come.

I share the pessimism around the future for artist-made art. In a time when companies will prioritize cutting costs to the point of jeopardizing workers' physical health and safety, it's hard to imagine they would go "oh yeah, obviously we need to pay a real artist to do that" vs telling the intern to whip up something in one of these tools for pennies. 

Let's say five years ago, whenever I would show someone my work, I'd get responses like: "Wow, that looks great! You are so talented!". These days, the responses are more: "Wow, that looks great! Did you make that yourself or did you prompt it?" Every time someone asks that, I feel a small part of my soul dying inside. I have spent decades developing my style and skills. To this day, I am STILL working on trying to achieve perfection in my style within the skills that I have. It is absolutely devastating to see so many people instantly assume what you make is fake, and it breaks my heart. 

As an artist I’ve been paying close attention to this. But every time I tell someone about how damaging this is to artists it’s always a “boo boo suck it up” response. 

Ai 'ART' will get WORSE not better

As artists debate the ethics and controversy of artificial Intelligence creating art. I'm philosophizing about what being an 'artist' means now Ai can create art . Here I argue that early Ai systems act like real artists but they won't for long. Soon Ai will become another tool used by artists. As the algorithms gets better, it will become more proficiently and less creative. Ai will stop being an artist.

I am not goanna lie this kind of helps my mental health. I learned that I write better in a notebook where I can make mistakes instead of the PC where I try to make sure everything is perfect which bottlenecks the process. Honestly a part of me see's ais vs -humans as streaming vs physical media, I know it isn't exactly like that, it's more like TV Dinners and frozen meals vs cooking at home or ordering out, but I'm still processing it. 

Limitation breeds creativity" a beautiful quote I will always remember. I am very grateful for the take in this video. Definitely not hyperbolic like most of the other videos. Thank you!

This is a very interesting opinion. I think I largely disagree with much of what you say, but you bring up some very valid points. I would define creation as taking chaos (or, in other words, your lived experience or the world around you) and transforming it into order. This can be done by anyone of any occupation, but I struggle to adapt that definition to fit AI. AI is being fed nothing but pictures. There is no chaos, only order. It's not making something genuinely new. It's just drawing from a dataset and transposing that into the end result. There's no problem solving. The AI doesn't just say "hmm, that's not quite right" and tries to fix it. It's effectively just throwing numbers at a wall. Nonetheless, it is an inevitability, and we will all have to adapt to a new world. 

Doomsters Perspective

For software engineers, the ascent of AI introduces a complex landscape of challenges: the existential threat it poses to the authenticity and value of human-crafted work, the "data laundering" phenomenon that commoditizes and monetizes their skills, potentially jeopardizing livelihoods, and the identity crisis it triggers, compelling a reevaluation of their roles and contributions in an era where AI's capabilities to generate art and software blur the lines between creator and creation. This evolving scenario demands a thoughtful navigation of the delicate balance between leveraging AI's potential and safeguarding the intrinsic value of human ingenuity in the tech industry.

Boomsters Perspective

For software engineers, the integration of AI not only reaffirms the artistic essence of software development but also heralds a new age of collaborative innovation. It positions AI as a versatile ally— a tool, medium, and muse—capable of unlocking unprecedented creative potentials and fostering the genesis of novel art and software solutions. This partnership with AI encourages the exploration of new creative frontiers, challenging the traditional confines of problem-solving and innovation. Additionally, this synergy offers a therapeutic escape from the rigors of perfectionism, promoting a healthier, more spontaneous approach to creation that can enhance mental well-being and fuel the creative spirit essential to the evolution of software engineering.

Who are you, Doomster or Boomster? 

Conclusion

The direction in which AI is heading remains a work in progress; yet, the pace of change is unparalleled. Similar to the Industrial Revolution or the Roaring Twenties—sometimes referred to as the Gilded Age—you might wake up tomorrow to find that you've missed the journey. But is this journey designed to cause your downfall, or is it meant to fortify you? Be prepared.

At the very least, I hope this has prompted you to think about these issues. Ideally, you are already on the path you've chosen for yourself.

End of Programming: The Future Product Development Team - A Symphony of Innovation!

The landscape of product development is poised for a dramatic transformation in the next 2-5 years, marked notably by the evolution of traditional programming roles. This article delves into future predictions of what the new software development team will resemble. Drawing an analogy to a small orchestra, we will explore this concept further, likening it to a team of diverse talents. Each member plays a distinct yet harmonious role, contributing to the symphony of innovation in product development.

As the author of this article and a dedicated programmer since the 80s, I've witnessed the evolution of programming firsthand – right from the keyboard. During my college years, I created code generation templates to keep up with lab assignments. Back then, you had to visit a physical facility to work, as the internet wasn't yet available to the general public. My guiding principle has always been, "As a programmer, my goal is to automate my job out of existence." Some have successfully achieved this, leading to the reality that programming is becoming obsolete for new and future application development.

"As a programmer, my goal is to automate my job out of existence."

The New Team

The PM Product Manager aka The Conductor, much like an orchestra conductor, oversees the entire product development process, ensuring that every aspect aligns with the strategic vision.

The Business Analyst aka The Fact Gatherer, acts as the team's researcher, delving into market data and customer feedback to extract actionable insights. The collector of facts.

The AI Code Monkey aka Code Virtuoso, represents the automated coding capabilities of the future, where AI assists in generating and optimizing code efficiently. The new Prompt Engineer career band.

The Quality Automation Engineer aka Quality Maestro, focuses on ensuring the product is reliable and meets quality standards. This is a key role in both quality and compliance.

Stepping Back to the 80's

Business software often carries a distinct signature, frequently reflecting the style of a single author or a small, micro-sized team. Historically, software millionaires and groundbreaking products emerged from these compact teams, which by today's standards, seem remarkably small. Looking ahead, the new era of AI-assisted software development is poised to revive this model of micro teams. These streamlined groups will be capable of delivering million-dollar solutions, echoing the efficiency and creativity of their predecessors.

As we venture into the next decade, the landscape of business software will be shaped not just by the size of the teams but by their market reach, sales strategies, and, most importantly, their success in capturing the mindshare of customers. This shift towards AI-enhanced development teams promises a return to the agility and personalized touch of small teams, while also harnessing the expansive capabilities of modern technology to meet and exceed market demands.

The Coding Evolution: From Fortran, Java, and Rust. 1950 to 2023.

During the dot-com bubble, I had the chance to converse with a captain of industry, whose name I must keep confidential. He shared insights from a meeting he had attended with Bill Gates, Scott Mcnealy, and other mavericks of that era. His words made a lasting impression on me and remain relevant to this day. He observed, "There has not been any significant, game-changing technology. Despite our ability to do more with software, it hasn't truly evolved. In terms of quality, time, and engineering, there have been no substantial improvements."

"There has not been any significant, game-changing technology. Despite our ability to do more with software, it hasn't truly evolved. In terms of quality, time, and engineering, there have been no substantial improvements."

Coding fads, attempts, and religious zeal have not substantially improved the state of programming. To date, I see no significant advancement. Programmers are undoubtedly smart and talented; however, they often struggle with consistency, quality, speed, and accurately interpreting requirements. This is because, at their core, programmers are human. The introduction of AI into this equation, however, is set to revolutionize these aspects.

"Coding fads, attempts, and religious zeal have not substantially improved the state of programming. To date, I see no significant advancement."

Stepping Back to the Future: Embracing the Now!

AI brings a level of precision, consistency, and efficiency previously unattainable by human programmers alone. It excels in areas where humans typically falter, such as maintaining unwavering attention to detail over long periods and processing complex requirements with high accuracy. AI can analyze vast amounts of data and code to identify patterns and optimize processes, leading to significant improvements in both speed and quality.

"AI brings a level of precision, consistency, and efficiency previously unattainable by human programmers alone."

Moreover, AI can assist in translating complex requirements into clear, executable code, reducing the likelihood of human error or misinterpretation. This collaboration between human creativity and AI's computational power creates a synergy where the limitations of one are compensated by the strengths of the other. As a result, the future of programming looks towards a landscape where AI not only augments human capabilities but also elevates the entire field to new levels of excellence and innovation.

In 2016, I had the chance to quality-assure human-like models at the Institute of AI. During this time, I interviewed several famous actors and a former President of the United States. While the technology was impressive, it was also buggy and easily misled into producing incoherent speech. During a gathering, I inadvertently made a controversial comment. I suggested that to achieve better quality, the solution might be to eliminate the programmers' involvement. This remark, though not intended to offend, did not win me any friends in the room that day.

"To achieve better quality, the solution might be to eliminate the programmers. I did not make any programmer friends that day."

The Proof is in the Eating of the Pudding: Naked Code Examples Unveiled

Fortran (1950s)

      PROGRAM FORTRANFORLOOP
      INTEGER I, SUM
      SUM = 0
      DO 10 I = 1, 5
          SUM = SUM + I
   10 CONTINUE
      PRINT *, 'The sum is ', SUM
      END

Java (1990s)

public class JavaForLoop {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int sum = 0;
        for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
            sum += i;
        }
        System.out.println("The sum is " + sum);
    }
}

Rust (2010s)

fn main() {
    let mut sum = 0;
    for i in 1..=5 {
        sum += i;
    }
    println!("The sum is {}", sum);
}

Although syntax and language capabilities have significantly evolved, the foundational principles of programming, such as iteration, have shown a remarkable consistency over time. However, there is one notable drawback: human coders. In my professional opinion, there has been no substantial improvement in the delivery of high-quality code. In fact, I believe that the quality of coding has declined since the days of Fortran, COBOL, and other procedural languages.

"There has been no substantial improvement in the delivery of high-quality code."

The applications of the future will not require human-readable code. As illustrated by these code snippets, which are relatively simple, readability can become challenging when a dozen or so programmers, each with their own coding style and potential for bugs, contribute to the project.

"The applications of the future will not require human-readable code."

For those of us who see code as poetry in motion, there's some disheartening news. The future of coding is likely to move away from the need for human-readable code. This shift might render such skills less essential, except perhaps in the realm of maintenance programming, though even that is up for debate.

"The future of coding is likely to move away from the need for human-readable code."

The Conclusion of This Article Marks a New Dawn in Application Development

In summary, the future of product development is undergoing a transformative shift, akin to an orchestra evolving into a more cohesive and efficient ensemble. This change is largely driven by the integration of AI, reshaping traditional programming roles within the team. The new era of development will see a synergy between human expertise and AI's precision, with roles like the PM Product Manager, Business Analyst, AI Code Monkey, and Quality Automation Engineer playing crucial, interdependent parts in this innovative process.

Reflecting on the evolution from Fortran to Java, and then to Rust, it's clear that while programming languages have advanced, the core principles of coding have remained consistent. However, AI's introduction marks a revolutionary change, addressing long-standing challenges in programming such as consistency, quality, and speed. This evolution suggests a future where traditional coding may become a niche skill, overshadowed by AI's capabilities in software development.

This paradigm shift, while potentially unsettling for seasoned programmers, opens doors to unprecedented levels of efficiency and innovation in product development. The future team, a band of innovation, is poised to redefine software development, blending human creativity with AI's computational power to explore new frontiers in technology and solutions. As we embrace this change, the opportunities for growth and advancement in the field of programming and product development are both exciting and limitless.

"No-Code Takes on a Revolutionary Meaning: Not Crafted by Human Hands, but Forged by AI Agents."

Reference: "Article by David Mallon with Assistance from ChatGPT"