Why Im Not Writing About AI Yet

AI is everywhere - and it has been for the last months… the last year(s)… I even use it now a lot as a tool for my development. So why haven’t I published AI guidance or written about it at all?

It’s really a simple reason. And it’s not what you think probably. I’m not a hater. It’s extreme love of AI and technology that makes me wait. Let me explain.

Now, you might think “oh a seasoned programmer - he’s probably anti AI or hating it” - and by seasoned, I mean older. But that’s not the case at all.

I’m not anti AI.

When you look back, you could see me as anti React, anti Laravel, anti Livewire, anti Pest. But is that true?

I’m anti hype

When React came out, it was awesome, but it kept changing. And it wasn’t the defacto yet. And it may no longer be. It’s interesting and I like what it did.

When I found Laravel, I didn’t like a lot of things about it. But Laravel matured, and so did my understanding of programming. Also my priorities shifted from pure computer sciency best practice and doing it the best way - to doing it the most good way to hit the business goal.

Livewire? Same sort of thing - but not exactly. It wasn’t architected in a way that I liked to begin with. Now it’s changed; and, it still has room to grow. But I use it all the time.

So what about AI?

My pattern is to watch something, assess it the first time, and then return to it later to assess it again. I’m not a hype man and I’m not a hater.

And this is where my ‘old programmer’ comes in. Sharing brand new things and cutting edge things are a young man’s game I think. I have a breadth of knowledge and experience - I’ve seen new technologies come and go.

But, I don’t rush in. I watch. I distill. I formulate. I give a richer, deeper bit of feedback and knowledge.

There is nothing new here; we’re just changing the way we’re doing things. We’re still executing code (for the most part). So, AI is helpful. But I haven’t been with it as long as I have with PHP or with Javascript.

So I’m waiting.

Not forever. But for now, I am.

And for a more in depth reasoning on this, we covered it in a podcast as well.