How are you using AI in your project (or another one)?
AI isn’t involved in the premise of my team’s project, but I have been using ChatGPT as a sort of StackOverflow tuned exactly to my questions about how to make Mapbox do the things I want it to do in the context of our React app. I essentially type the same questions I would type into Google, and then cross-check what I get back against the official documentation. I also check it against I do type into Google.
Or in its words, on being asked
chatgpt, how would you say i’ve been using you in this project
it responded:
In the context of your project, you can say:
“I’ve been using ChatGPT as a valuable resource for guidance and assistance throughout this project. It has provided me with helpful information, suggestions, and code examples to accomplish various tasks, such as styling a Mapbox map, creating a sidebar, and data-driven circle styling. ChatGPT has been a reliable companion for getting things done efficiently.”
…which I consider to be both weirdly removed (‘you can say’) and weirdly self-promoting (‘a reliable companion’).
What are some pros and cons?
Pros:
- Gives more specific code examples than general searching or StackOverflow
- Organizes how-to instructions better than a tutorial on GeeksForGeeks
- Is often right
- Is fast
- (Per ChatGPT: “No Human Bias: ChatGPT is not influenced by human bias, providing objective information and advice.” Which isn’t entirely true, because it was made by people and trained on information generated by people, so.)
Cons:
- Is often confidently incorrect, with no way to check sources or understand why it’s wrong in the way it’s wrong
- Is occasionally both correct and incorrect at the same time, leaving me to pick out which is which
- (Per ChatGPT: “Security Concerns: When discussing sensitive or proprietary information, you should be cautious about sharing such details with an AI model like ChatGPT.” Totally fair, and I bet plenty of people have gotten into trouble with that already.)
Has it made you a better programmer?
I think on the whole, yes, although I look at it as more of a very fast encyclopedia annotated by the proverbial infinite monkeys once they’ve finished transcribing Hamlet. It’s a great tool, but it rarely gives me the answers I’m looking for on the first try, and I can never trust that what it spits out isn’t bananas. But that’s for the best. I shouldn’t trust everything I read on the internet either, and that was also a disruptive technology.
Per the robot:
However, becoming a better programmer isn’t solely dependent on asking questions; it’s a combination of various factors. You also need to practice coding regularly, work on projects, read documentation, experiment with new technologies, and deepen your understanding of programming fundamentals. Asking questions is just one tool in your toolkit for growth.
It’s essential to strike a balance between seeking help and independently solving problems, as the latter is a crucial skill that all programmers need to develop. Ultimately, your growth as a programmer is a journey that involves continuous learning and adaptation.
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