[simonw]

Probably about 10 cents, if you're even paying for tokens. Plenty of these tools have generous free tiers or allowances included in your subscription.

I run a pricing calculator here - for 50,000 input tokens, 5,000 output tokens (which I estimate would be about right for a PostgreSQL optimization loop) GPT-5 would cost 11.25 cents: https://www.llm-prices.com/#it=50000&ot=5000&ic=1.25&oc=10

I use Codex CLI with my $20/month ChatGPT account and so far I've not hit the limit with it despite running things like this multiple times a day.

[lomase]

If optimizing a Postgress SQL server cost 11.25 cents and everybody can do it because AI how much are you going to bill your customer? .20 cents?

If that is true in some months there will be no dba jobs.

Funny that at the same time SQL is one of the most requested languages in job postings.

[simonw]

Knowing what "optimizing a PostgreSQL server's configuration" even means continues to be high value technical knowledge.

Knowing how to "run an agentic loop to optimize the config file" is meaningless techno-jabber to 99.99% of the world's population.

I am entirely unconcerned for my future career prospects.

[lomase]

So your big advantage is that nobody has lauched agentic tools for the end user yet?

[simonw]

Anyone can learn to unblock a sink by watching YouTube videos these days, and yet most people still hire a professional to do it for them.

I don't think end users want to "optimize their PostgreSQL servers" even if they DID know that's a thing they can do. They want to hire experts who know how to make "that tech stuff" work.

[lomase]

I agree that people like to hire profesionals. That is why I hire db experts to work on our infra, not prompt engenieers.

Saying that anybody can learn to unblock a sink by watching youtube is your tipical HN mentality of stating opinons as facts.

[simonw]

"Saying that anybody can learn to unblock a sink by watching youtube is your tipical HN mentality of stating opinons as facts."

I don't understand what you mean. Are you saying that it's not true that anyone could learn to unblock a sink by watching YouTube videos?

[simonw]

Personally I'd like to hire a DB expert who also knows how to drive an agentic coding system to help them accelerate their work. AI tools, used correctly, act as an amplifier of existing knowledge and experience.

[cdelsolar]

you can become a db expert with the right prompts