Batteries included: how AI will transform the who and how of programming

John Graham-Cumming · 14 May 2023

John Graham-Cumming did not write this page.

Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

Our reading
The history of programming can be read as a series of improvements in programmer productivity and in who counts as a programmer.

Their wordsYou can look at the history of computer programming as improvements in programmer productivity and widening the scope of who is a programmer.
Our reading
If AI removes much of programming’s arcane work, that may open programming to many more people.
Mental modelCheaper means more, not less

Their wordsWhat if AI eliminates much of our odd work and lets people concentrate on the thing they are creating? I think that would be wonderful and would open the world of programming to many, many more people.
Our reading
Every developer platform will come to have AI capability built in.

Their wordsA developer platform without AI isn’t going to be much use. It’ll be a bit like a developer platform that can’t do floating point arithmetic, or handle a list of data. We’re going to see every developer platform have AI capability built in because these capabilities will allow developers to make richer experiences for users.
Our reading
A world of AI needs data that can move freely between platforms, without transfer fees or egress charges.
Mental modelLock-in and switching costs

Their wordsData needs to be free to move from system to system, from platform to platform, without transfer fees, egress or other nonsense. If we want a world of AI, we need a world of data fluidity.
Our reading
AI is likely to help people be smarter.

Their wordsAnd, I predict, AI is going to help people be smarter.

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The other pieces are the ones whose claims are worded most like this one's. That measures language, not agreement: they may argue the opposite.