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I don't think this is in any way a disagreement between us. In just the same way that spreadsheet software did not kill demand for accountants, I do not believe

I don't think this is in any way a disagreement between us. In just the same way that spreadsheet software did not kill demand for accountants, I do not believe AI will kill the demand for other professionals.

huurtehoog 13d ago
Why did you scare quote addicted then? Made it sound like you were implying that spreadsheets did not erode workforce skill
- sanderjd 12d ago
  It was quoting a word from this sentence in your comment: > An entire generation of potential competition is getting addicted to the subsidized corporate tooling. I think that using LLMs as tools for work is just like accountants using spreadsheets. If you want to describe both things with the word "addicted", then fair enough. But in my view, in both cases it is just people using a technology that is useful for their work.
  - huurtehoog 12d ago
    And in both cases it leads to skill erosion in the workforce. We have a shortage of accountants and we will have a shortage of software developers when a few years down the line an entire new generation is addicted to corporate tooling and has been disincentivized to learn fundamental skills. So to the point: it is a real problem that has played out before. Ask anyone in manufacturing how much great welders are paid and if they are easy to find.
    - sanderjd 10d ago
      No, this is clearly not true of accountants! Using digital spreadsheets is not "skill erosion", it is the skill! That doesn't mean they don't still need to learn how to do the calculations that are encoded into the spreadsheets, of course that fundamental knowledge is still important. But running all those calculations by hand in the regular course of their work would be a giant waste of time. It does seem that there is a shortage of accountants, but this doesn't seem to have anything to do with it... Like, "not enough people are entering CPA programs because it requires a big time commitment for not the best pay and horrible hours during tax season" seems like the main reasons and "the workforce got too addicted to Excel" seems like not one of the reasons at all?

huurtehoog 13d ago

Why did you scare quote addicted then? Made it sound like you were implying that spreadsheets did not erode workforce skill

sanderjd 12d ago
It was quoting a word from this sentence in your comment: > An entire generation of potential competition is getting addicted to the subsidized corporate tooling. I think that using LLMs as tools for work is just like accountants using spreadsheets. If you want to describe both things with the word "addicted", then fair enough. But in my view, in both cases it is just people using a technology that is useful for their work.
- huurtehoog 12d ago
  And in both cases it leads to skill erosion in the workforce. We have a shortage of accountants and we will have a shortage of software developers when a few years down the line an entire new generation is addicted to corporate tooling and has been disincentivized to learn fundamental skills. So to the point: it is a real problem that has played out before. Ask anyone in manufacturing how much great welders are paid and if they are easy to find.
  - sanderjd 10d ago
    No, this is clearly not true of accountants! Using digital spreadsheets is not "skill erosion", it is the skill! That doesn't mean they don't still need to learn how to do the calculations that are encoded into the spreadsheets, of course that fundamental knowledge is still important. But running all those calculations by hand in the regular course of their work would be a giant waste of time. It does seem that there is a shortage of accountants, but this doesn't seem to have anything to do with it... Like, "not enough people are entering CPA programs because it requires a big time commitment for not the best pay and horrible hours during tax season" seems like the main reasons and "the workforce got too addicted to Excel" seems like not one of the reasons at all?