RE: https://mastodon.social/@dabeaz/117259349418891202
In the early 1970s, most folks could do some mental arithmetic. They had to. The arrival of pocket calculators quickly reduced most people's ability to do "math" in their heads.
Ditto with Google Maps: people can't navigate without it. A recent study of Polish radiologists using LLMs to assist showed a measurable drop in the doctor's own ability to diagnose without them
LLMs will have that effect on programmers' ability to code.
More broadly: for people to be able to think for themselves.
@robpike.io
npub1wx…undds
2026-09-12 21:16:15 UTC
Author Public Key
npub1wxz87w2msnqyyp6laj3dqhz8s4quetls6wv7077w2msynj8dw02sjunddsSeen on
wss://relay.momostr.pinkPublished at
2026-09-12 21:16:15 UTCEvent JSON
{
"id": "62d8ab39ed132106db279d31b7f11bdca0c1c391cfa09cc91a98fe77c051161f",
"pubkey": "71847f395b84c042075feca2d05c478541ccaff0d399e7fbce56e049c8ed73d5",
"created_at": 1789247775,
"kind": 1,
"tags": [
[
"proxy",
"https://cosocial.ca/@robpike/117260142225119158",
"web"
],
[
"proxy",
"https://cosocial.ca/ap/users/116797067566758377/statuses/117260142225119158",
"activitypub"
],
[
"L",
"pink.momostr"
],
[
"l",
"pink.momostr.activitypub:https://cosocial.ca/ap/users/116797067566758377/statuses/117260142225119158",
"pink.momostr"
],
[
"-"
]
],
"content": "RE: https://mastodon.social/@dabeaz/117259349418891202\n\nIn the early 1970s, most folks could do some mental arithmetic. They had to. The arrival of pocket calculators quickly reduced most people's ability to do \"math\" in their heads.\n\nDitto with Google Maps: people can't navigate without it. A recent study of Polish radiologists using LLMs to assist showed a measurable drop in the doctor's own ability to diagnose without them\n\nLLMs will have that effect on programmers' ability to code.\n\nMore broadly: for people to be able to think for themselves.",
"sig": "a30439a11d7f01b9891bd46b1cf5229f90e12ccfd61c1dc5e9faf837f531392e6cb2af1a28432596a18d01de199bf0bdb2735e431cffc1f7526a74ebb837645d"
}