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Tweaked my comment a little bit to clarify. Surely we'd agree that not everyone who uses software is a software engineer, but writing software is generally agr

by sgk284 3y ago

Tweaked my comment a little bit to clarify. Surely we'd agree that not everyone who uses software is a software engineer, but writing software is generally agreed upon as "software engineering". If you consider my comment as a whole, and the linked document, then the application of the definition makes sense. Large Language Models are incredibly similar to black-box non-deterministic interpreters. And prompt engineering feels very much like writing code for said interpreter.

dakom 3y ago
I've never heard of non-deterministic programming languages. Is that really a thing? (I mean - cue the JS jokes and all, but, really?) Fwiw, to me, writing prompts feels most similar to management, directing, maybe psychotherapy (though I never worked in that, just guessing). Knowing how to adapt and use language to guide the "other" to achieve a goal, but without having insight into the exact way they go about it. I feel like when I talk to ChatGPT I am directing it. "guide to directing AI bots" has its share of problems too, and "directing prompts" is just flat out unsexy.
- ecnahc515 3y ago
  I mean, quantum programming is basically non deterministic. It's not a nature of the program though, but the underlying "hardware".
pwillia7 3y ago
I think here, like in a lot of places in our societies, there's a gap in language. Take the group of someone's grandma, john carmack, a 3rd year uni student and like a guy that writes YAML to control his home automation system. 2 words surely aren't enough. There's no way to draw one line through that group and get any real meaning (unless maybe it's above the grandma) So, like in other parts of society, if we don't make new words, people will start using the words we already have. I want someone to write a sci-fi book where our need for new language snowballs with increased technology and ends up being the great filter for life since it grows until no groups can understand each other.

by sgk284 3y ago

dakom 3y ago

I've never heard of non-deterministic programming languages. Is that really a thing? (I mean - cue the JS jokes and all, but, really?) Fwiw, to me, writing prompts feels most similar to management, directing, maybe psychotherapy (though I never worked in that, just guessing). Knowing how to adapt and use language to guide the "other" to achieve a goal, but without having insight into the exact way they go about it. I feel like when I talk to ChatGPT I am directing it. "guide to directing AI bots" has its share of problems too, and "directing prompts" is just flat out unsexy.

ecnahc515 3y ago
I mean, quantum programming is basically non deterministic. It's not a nature of the program though, but the underlying "hardware".

pwillia7 3y ago

I think here, like in a lot of places in our societies, there's a gap in language. Take the group of someone's grandma, john carmack, a 3rd year uni student and like a guy that writes YAML to control his home automation system. 2 words surely aren't enough. There's no way to draw one line through that group and get any real meaning (unless maybe it's above the grandma) So, like in other parts of society, if we don't make new words, people will start using the words we already have. I want someone to write a sci-fi book where our need for new language snowballs with increased technology and ends up being the great filter for life since it grows until no groups can understand each other.