[minimaxir]

I tested it and it turns out LLMs can follow commands such as "Port the following Python code to COBOL", although it's certainly harder to validate the output is correct.

[lowlevel]

No need to check. It isn't.

[mek6800d2]

You're porting in the WRONG direction. The existing COBOL code is undoubtedly using system utilities such as database management systems, etc. on the mainframe computers. And I doubt that you've written Python code that smoothly integrates into that system environment and just needs to be ported to COBOL. And I doubt that the mini-Musks can do so. (I'm not including the massive application-specific knowledge that you and they would or should need to grasp before attempting to insert code into the system.)

[YeGoblynQueenne]

You don't understand. Your COBOL code may be 99.99999% right and still cause millions of dollars to vanish :poof: in a flash.

If the DOGE team have this bright idea of getting an LLM to mess with the COBOL on mainframes there is going to be widespread chaos beyond human imagination.

[ttyprintk]

Or, payments during an emergency. Say, avian flu.

[minimaxir]

(to be clear this is most definitely not an endorsement of this approach, but you know DOGE is going to try it anyways)

[croes]

It's useless to port the code if you don't understand the data.