Are we in an age where the idea or the ability to properly communicate-it, is going to be worth more than the actual coding process? Are we building major code bases full of automation scripts? Yet, have we already been in this era for a long time and just didn't realize it?
With rising tools like GutHub Copilot, Cursor, VSCode, etc., it is very simple to ask, "Hey, what is going on here?" However, the issue is that once a project becomes several files of 700-plus lines or more, it becomes apparent that the AI alone won't be able to handle it well without proper instructions. Prompting the AI/Agent/LLM effectively will be key, and to do this, one must become highly educated in programming and server setups, almost working towards becoming a full-stack developer (not super advanced, but approaching that status is going to work in this era with these new tools). The reason is that even the programmer can only truly be 10x++ if that includes custom setups using Vim, VS Code, Sublime, extensions, and linting add-ons. Now with AI, 100x abilities are a possibility. Although 10x is relevantly possible, (yet beyond this is very hard, not because of "Now a person knows a lot," it is just that our fingers only move so fast!) consequently; pages, after more pages of code, one person is not going to be able to generate, in a few hours like auto-generation can.
However, let's say we are creating a full-stack development application using script commands within your OS and dev setup, Python or variants of "or frameworks of," PHP, JS or variants of, and of course, always using HTML5, CSS, XML, etc. Now, this is all set up: We have an editor and some type of scripting for sending/pushing updates to the live server — maybe even a cron job running an advanced script for scraping the page, checking for errors, or retaining/maintaining search functionality. But what happens, is that your automated scripting sends or transfers the files, and without noticing, because a coder edited the directory just a little differently due to the way the FTP login is specifically set up (a custom setup), . . . now you have a folder inside a folder, and none of the updates are showing. This is what the AI alone is not advanced enough "yet" to figure "this out" on its own, nor may it ever be (but, I feel I can research and develop more capabilities (as I am in the R&D process for this currently) for this will include advanced prompt engineering generation with a good memory bank setup, as all things are possible). Honestly, the AI would have to automate the process in a very specific way because server setups vary a lot. It would have to transfer the files, clear the cache, then use a process to retrieve all the info; the AI being able to see logs and sometimes even images, pulling source alone is not advance enough at the moment, yet it is getting closer.
The short story: AI, example code, shared code repositories, or code generators are good, and the number of lines produced speeds up the process. However, after working with multiple languages and live production servers, I would have just opened FileZilla or the file manager from the hosting panel (and then also remember this: "Try asking someone else that may know!" Even if they do not know; this process expands the brain power some and may lead to the correct direction. Also another good process is doing a simple pseudocode writing for the process, as this may help see it or remember it in the 1000+ lines), . . . getting back on the subject, now I would of checked the files, seen a new subfolder was made, then opened the FTP transfer script and switched to the correct directory (and also not have given up). This is the art of programming! To not stop; chances are, one or two more days (or even another 15-20 minutes) will fix the issues and present the beauty of the code, creating a "Da Vinci" masterpiece. This is also where referencing, reading documentation, searching the web repeatedly, and trying different variations of the code until one works; like a coder trying different versions of the programming language, API, library/import, etc. This all finalizes this post with this short one-liner conclusion: "The practice and dedication is what makes coding an art!" —crissy