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by lionkor 947 days ago
Yes, that's a thing, I'm one of those people.

While impressive, the two issues I have with codepilot and other AI tools are:

1. The code is usually the same code I'd get a few web searches away, except then it would have the appropriate copyright. As a FOSS developer (in my free time), I do not want to risk using code I don't have a license for, and thus dirtying up my entire project and putting it in danger of being taken down.

2. I really don't need it. At very few points in a project do I both think "I want to continue this" and also "I want my code written for me". I like autocomplete, I use autocomplete, and I like Visual Studio's suggestions, too. It's only wrong 50% of the time, around about. I have no interest in a tool that writes my code for me, because I have learned everything I know from solving problems myself.

Edit: Clauses in the AI's ToS like "all code generated is yours" or something is akin to a sign on a bar saying "if you hit someone in here it's not assault" -- it doesn't change the facts whatsoever, and the fact is that it's still a crime to hit somebody, even if the bar's ToS say otherwise.

2 comments

> The code is usually the same code I'd get a few web searches away

My impression is that people normally don't use Copilot as a substitute for finding solutions (ChatGPT is much better for that), but as a way to help with otherwise tedious tasks that are really specific to your codebase. Check out 6:05 and 6:25 in this Andreas Kling video for a good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxubNQC5O8

Regarding your second point Copilot helps me when I least expects it. I think the video illustrates what I mean with that as well.

> Check out 6:05 and 6:25 in this Andreas Kling video for a good example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mxubNQC5O8

Oof. So not only was it a poor replacement for a macro, it didn't even generate the correct code!

It really is amazing and Andreas Kling is awesome. Thanks for the link
3. To be truly useful, you have to send your company's proprietary code to a 3rd-party AI, which may or may not use it for training their AI, or which may or may not have security issues and leak your proprietary code. Yes, we do this already with GitHub/GitLab, etc. but those are mature and (AFAIK) haven't had big security issues like OpenAI has had in the past year. 4. For ChatGPT at least, you have to give them your phone number to sign up. For me this is a deal-breaker, but I get others are fine with it.
GitHub and GitLab are sufficiently useful, AI is not (for me)