Ben Taylor @VoxDei@qoto.org

Argh... reviewing a colleague's python code, and he's used ChatGPT or Copilot or some other AI "helper" to write a bunch of the code. And it's just got a load of "Why the hell have you done this?" bits. Especially in the unit tests - it really doesn't know how to write pytest tests.

If you don't know what you're doing it looks halfway reasonable, and it kind-of-sort-of works, but... you'd never write that code if you were doing it yourself.

#ai #chatgpt #copilot #coding #botshit #python

I guess I should do #introduction? For all the people who aren't following me. ;-)

Ahem. I'm a #software engineer and a (mostly) PC #gamer, although I can't play FPS games because motion sickness. I''ve got an undergrad degree in #computerscience and a masters in #oceanography (yes, I know that's an unusual combination). I worked in airborne and #satellite #remotesensing (mostly) of the oceans for twelve years (a few publications but nothing first-author, I was doing tech rather than science) before gradually drifting back to software engineering via weather radar. Also spent most of that time as a #tradeunion rep - strong believer in the necessity of collective bargaining and collective action as a counterbalance to over-emphasised executive/management power.

Mostly coding in #python these days and trying to get my head around #aws.