[anavat]

It is simple. Continuing your metaphor, I have a choice of getting exactly where I want on a camel in 3 days, or getting to a random location somewhere on the other side of the desert on a helicopter in few hours.

And being a reasonable person I, just like the author, choose the helicopter. That's it, that's the whole problem.

[satvikpendem]

Why is that the reasonable choice if it doesn't get you to your destination?

I too did a lot of AI coding but when I saw the spaghetti it made, I went back to regular coding, with ask mode not agent mode as a search engine.

[anavat]

Because of compound efficiency and technological enablement.

Or, risking to beat the metaphor to death, because over a span of time I'll cross many more deserts than I would have on a camel, and because I'll cross deserts that I wouldn't even try crossing on a camel.

[satvikpendem]

Why does it matter how many deserts you cross if you never get to where you want to go? I similarly can take 10 flights across oceans but never end up in the city I'm trying to visit. Sounds like in your metaphor the person is just crossing desserts because they want to with no goal or destination in mind.

[treszkai]

Maybe you wanted to visit Mexico and your dream was specifically about Cancún, but then you ended up in Veracruz and were like "oh well, it is Mexico after all, I'd rather be here and visit five other countries similarly than only a single one with my dream city."

[satvikpendem]

I guess this is stretching the analogy a bit far because I'd rather get to the exact place I wanted to go rather than wasting my time non-deterministically wandering around because who knows how long that will take to get anywhere close to my destination.

[amelius]

Because taking a rental camel from the airport is faster.

[augment_me]

You did something smart and efficinently using the least amount of energy and time needed. +1 for consciousness being a mistake

[nottorp]

Helicopters are deterministic though :)