Tell HN: How to Think about AI

Yep, that's the title. Stop thinking of AI like an unfair "cheatcode" and start thinking of it as a new programming language. Maybe in other domains, this analogy doesn't match. But that's okay. You're mostly concerned about coding/sysadmin/etc.

People think that AI lowers the bar too much, eroding the influence of experts, degrading quality. Maybe so. But this is not new. The same was surely said when C threatened the monopoly of B, and machine code, etc. C allowed "not real programmers" to write programs. This was anathema. A violation of the sacred codex! Heretical! And yet, it worked. Now C is beloved of (almost) all. At least revered.

And so on, and so on. AI is just a new programming language. It is not "conscious". It is not AGI. It is barely a form of mechanized intelligence. It is not your friend. It is just a thing. A tool. A very useful, multi-tool. But still (right now), a tool.

That's how you think about AI, and win. You don't get bitter. You don't even need to "get even". You just get on with it. Just do it. Use it. It's a tool. So get to work! :)