Why I Quit Copilot | Prime Reacts

ThePrimeTime
6 Apr 202435:56

TLDRThe speaker discusses their decision to stop using the AI coding assistant, GitHub Copilot, due to concerns about its impact on their programming skills, creativity, and privacy. They share their experience of 'the co-pilot pause,' where they found themselves waiting for code suggestions rather than writing code organically. The speaker also criticizes the quality of code generated by Copilot and its potential effect on future code maintainability. They express a desire for a privacy-focused version of such tools, acknowledging the benefits of AI in productivity but ultimately choosing to take a break from it.

Takeaways

  • 🚫 The speaker has recently quit using GitHub Copilot due to forgetting to sign in after setting up a new computer.
  • 💭 The absence of Copilot led to a realization of its influence on the coding process, specifically the 'Copilot pause' where one waits for code suggestions rather than writing code organically.
  • 🔄 The speaker experienced a shift in their coding habits without Copilot, noticing a return to writing code more naturally and without the expectation of AI-generated suggestions.
  • 🤔 The video discusses the potential negative impact of relying too heavily on AI coding assistants like Copilot, questioning if it hinders the learning and creative process.
  • 🧠 The speaker suggests that using Copilot can lead to a form of learned helplessness, where developers may become less self-reliant in their coding abilities.
  • 📈 The video highlights a study by GitHub that shows an increase in developer satisfaction when using Copilot, but the speaker questions the implications of this satisfaction.
  • 💡 The speaker values the initial struggle of learning to code and believes that tools like Copilot might remove valuable learning experiences.
  • 📚 The importance of understanding and internalizing coding knowledge is emphasized over relying on autocomplete and suggestions from AI.
  • 🔧 The speaker is concerned about the future maintainability of code written with the assistance of AI like Copilot, as it may not always reflect the latest best practices or updates.
  • 💰 There's a discussion on the pricing model of Copilot, with the speaker questioning the long-term affordability and the potential for it to be a loss leader for Microsoft.
  • 🔒 The privacy concerns related to using Copilot are mentioned, as it sends code snippets to a remote server, which the speaker finds unacceptable.

Q & A

  • Why did the speaker decide to stop using Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker decided to stop using Co-Pilot after they got a new computer and redid their Neovim configuration, forgetting to sign back into Co-Pilot. This unintentional break from Co-Pilot led them to realize they didn't need it and preferred their coding workflow without it.

  • What is the 'Co-Pilot pause'?

    -The 'Co-Pilot pause' refers to the behavior where the speaker would start typing code, then stop and wait for Co-Pilot to suggest the next part of the code, instead of continuing to write the code themselves. This pause was more noticeable after they stopped using Co-Pilot.

  • How does the speaker feel about the impact of Co-Pilot on their coding skills?

    -The speaker feels that by not using Co-Pilot, they are taking their coding skills back and improving them, as they believe relying on Co-Pilot could lead to complacency and a lack of development in their programming abilities.

  • What does the speaker think about the enjoyment of coding with Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker believes that using Co-Pilot made coding less enjoyable for them, as it took away some of the creative and problem-solving aspects of coding that they personally found rewarding.

  • How does the speaker view the role of AI in coding?

    -The speaker has mixed feelings about AI in coding. While they acknowledge the potential benefits of AI in increasing productivity and generating boilerplate code, they also express concerns about the loss of skill development, the potential for AI to generate outdated code, and privacy issues.

  • What is the speaker's stance on the cost of Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker expresses skepticism about the cost of Co-Pilot, questioning whether the low price of $10 a month is sustainable and suggesting that it might be a loss leader strategy by the company.

  • What does the speaker think about the future of AI in coding?

    -The speaker is unsure about the future role of AI in coding. They are taking a break from using AI to reflect on the changes it has brought to their workflow and consider the implications for their coding practices.

  • How does the speaker feel about the privacy implications of using Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker is concerned about the privacy implications of using Co-Pilot, as it sends snippets of code to a remote server. This concern for privacy was a significant factor in their decision to stop using the tool.

  • What is the speaker's opinion on the quality of code generated by Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker believes that the quality of code generated by Co-Pilot can be an issue, as it often generates out-of-date suggestions and can introduce bugs. They feel that Co-Pilot is better suited for generating boilerplate code rather than leading the coding process.

  • What is the speaker's view on the importance of learning and memorizing coding concepts?

    -The speaker believes that it's important to learn and memorize coding concepts, as it helps in understanding the language deeply and improves overall programming skills. They feel that relying too much on AI tools can hinder this learning process.

  • What is the speaker's final verdict on using Co-Pilot?

    -The speaker has decided not to use Co-Pilot and is considering exploring open-source models that they can self-host, aligning more with their values of open-source, privacy, and self-hosting.

Outlines

00:00

🚫 Quitting Co-Pilot: The Journey Begins

The speaker discusses their recent decision to stop using Co-Pilot, an AI coding assistant. They explain that the reason stems from a fresh start with their neovim configuration on a new computer, which led to forgetting to sign back into Co-Pilot. This experience has prompted them to reflect on the implications of relying on such tools and to consider the future without them. The speaker also raises questions about the number of people actively using Co-Pilot and the potential financial implications for Microsoft, the company behind the tool.

05:03

💭 The Co-Pilot Pause: A New Behavior Observed

The speaker delves into a newly recognized behavior they've termed 'the Co-Pilot pause,' where they would start typing code and then wait for Co-Pilot to complete their thoughts. This behavior was not as noticeable while using the tool but became more apparent once they stopped. The speaker reflects on the potential loss of coding skills due to over-reliance on AI and the importance of maintaining and improving one's own coding abilities. They also discuss the impact of Co-Pilot on their enjoyment of coding and the creative process.

10:03

🤔 Balancing AI Assistance and Personal Growth

The speaker shares their thoughts on the balance between using AI like Co-Pilot to aid in coding and the importance of personal growth and learning. They highlight the benefits of turning off AI assistance occasionally to strengthen one's own skills and knowledge. The speaker also discusses the impact of Co-Pilot on their coding habits and the potential risks of letting AI take the lead in generating ideas and code. They emphasize the importance of directing AI and not letting it dictate the coding process.

15:04

🎸 Creativity and Enjoyment in Coding

The speaker talks about how the use of Co-Pilot has affected their creativity and enjoyment in coding. They express concerns that relying on AI might diminish the乐趣 of writing code and solving problems independently. While the speaker acknowledges that Co-Pilot can increase productivity, they also question whether it truly enhances the overall coding experience, especially for those who are passionate about programming. The speaker also mentions a GitHub study on developer satisfaction and happiness, suggesting that Co-Pilot might be more beneficial for those who are less experienced or struggle with programming.

20:05

📚 Learning and Mastery: The Role of Enjoyment

The speaker discusses the importance of enjoyment in learning and mastering a skill, using the example of learning to play the guitar. They argue that to become really good at something, one must enjoy the process. The speaker also talks about the transition from initially finding programming challenging to eventually enjoying it as one gets better at it. They suggest that the key to improvement is constant learning and making time for it, and that AI tools like Co-Pilot should be used mindfully to avoid hindering personal growth.

25:06

🛠️ Quality Concerns with AI-Generated Code

The speaker raises concerns about the quality of code generated by Co-Pilot, especially when it is allowed to lead the coding process. They argue that this can result in bugs and poorly thought-out code. The speaker also discusses the limitations of Co-Pilot's training data, which can lead to out-of-date suggestions. They mention the importance of using good language servers and the benefits of using TypeScript for better completions. The speaker shares their decision to stop using Co-Pilot due to these quality concerns and the impact on future maintainability of code.

30:08

🔒 Privacy and the Cost of Convenience

The speaker addresses the privacy concerns associated with using Co-Pilot, as it sends snippets of code to a remote server. They express discomfort with this practice, especially considering their interest in self-hosting and open-source projects. The speaker also discusses the default settings of Co-Pilot's individual plan, which save code snippets unless opted out of. They mention considering self-hosted, open-source AI models as an alternative to address these concerns.

35:08

🤖 AI in Coding: Hype, Fatigue, and Nostalgia

The speaker reflects on the hype surrounding AI in coding, expressing feelings of fatigue and underwhelm. They consider taking a break from AI tools like Co-Pilot, questioning whether the past might be better in some aspects. The speaker also discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI in coding, including the impact on productivity and the concern about contributing to the improvement of AI tools. They end with a contemplation of a future where a privacy-focused version of Co-Pilot might exist, but at a higher cost.

🌟 The Co-Pilot Pause Revisited

The speaker reiterates the concept of 'the Co-Pilot pause,' emphasizing its reality and impact on coding habits. They encourage users of Co-Pilot to try turning it off to experience and recognize this pause in their own coding process. The speaker shares their positive reaction to the video they are discussing, highlighting the importance of being aware of how AI tools can shape our behavior and思维方式.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Co-pilot

Co-pilot in the context of the video refers to GitHub Copilot, an AI-powered code generation tool that assists developers by providing code suggestions as they type. The speaker has decided to stop using it, which is the central theme of the video. The speaker discusses various reasons for discontinuing its use, including concerns about privacy, code quality, and the impact on personal coding skills and habits.

💡Neovim

Neovim is a refactor of the Vim text editor, designed to be more extensible and maintainable. In the video, the speaker talks about redoing their Neovim configuration from scratch, which led to them not adding co-pilot back in, sparking a series of reflections on their coding practices and the use of AI assistants.

💡Code quality

Code quality refers to the overall quality and maintainability of the source code written by a programmer or a team of programmers. In the context of the video, the speaker expresses concerns that relying on co-pilot might lead to lower code quality due to the tool providing out-of-date suggestions or not fully understanding the context of the code it is generating.

💡Learning curve

The learning curve is the process of acquiring new skills or knowledge, where the rate of learning is plotted over time. In the video, the speaker discusses the importance of experiencing the struggle of learning and overcoming it, which is a critical part of the learning curve. They argue that using co-pilot might hinder this natural progression.

💡Privacy concerns

Privacy concerns refer to the potential risk of personal information being collected, used, or disclosed without consent. In the video, the speaker expresses their discomfort with co-pilot's data collection practices, where snippets of code are sent to a remote server, which goes against their values of self-hosting and privacy.

💡Telemetry

Telemetry is the automatic collection and transmission of data from remote sources to a central repository for monitoring and analysis. In the context of the video, the speaker discusses telemetry in relation to co-pilot's data collection practices, which they find intrusive and against their preference for privacy.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency and effectiveness with which tasks are completed. The speaker discusses how co-pilot is marketed as a productivity tool for developers but shares their personal experience where they felt it made them less productive due to the need for constant oversight and correction of the AI's suggestions.

💡AI-generated suggestions

AI-generated suggestions refer to the output provided by artificial intelligence algorithms, like co-pilot, to assist in tasks such as coding. The video discusses the impact of these suggestions on the coding process, both positively, by providing boilerplate code, and negatively, by potentially hindering the development of personal coding skills and introducing bugs.

💡Boilerplate code

Boilerplate code is a term used to describe sections of code that have no intellectual property and can be reused in many programs without modification. In the video, the speaker mentions that co-pilot is particularly good at generating boilerplate code, which can speed up certain aspects of development.

💡Programming habits

Programming habits refer to the routine practices that developers adopt while coding. The video explores how the use of co-pilot can influence these habits, potentially leading to a reliance on AI for code suggestions and a change in the way developers write and think about code.

💡Open source

Open source refers to a software development approach where the source code of a program is made available to the public, allowing anyone to view, use, modify, and distribute the code. The speaker mentions being into open source, which contrasts with their concerns about co-pilot's data collection practices, as it goes against the principles of privacy and self-hosting that they value in open source culture.

Highlights

The speaker has recently stopped using GitHub Copilot due to a fresh start with a new computer and a reconfigured Neovim setup.

The absence of signing back into Copilot after reconfiguring has led to an unintentional but now permanent break from the tool.

The speaker has been living without Copilot for about a month and has no intention of returning to it.

There's a current poll going on to determine how many people are actively using Copilot.

The speaker questions the financial implications for Microsoft with the number of active Copilot users.

The speaker is concerned about the educational impact of students having free access to Copilot, suggesting it may hinder their learning process.

The speaker discusses the importance of struggling with code to learn and grow as a programmer.

The concept of 'Co-Pilot pause' is introduced, where the speaker would wait for code suggestions instead of writing the code themselves.

The speaker reflects on the change in their coding behavior due to reliance on AI code suggestions.

The speaker mentions a personal improvement in their coding skills since not using Copilot.

The enjoyment of coding has been restored for the speaker after abandoning Copilot.

The speaker shares a personal anecdote about writing more libraries in the past as a sign of better scope management.

The speaker expresses concerns about the quality of code generated by Copilot and its potential to introduce bugs.

The speaker values the ability to write code without relying on AI for creative and problem-solving aspects.

The speaker discusses the role of enjoyment in excelling at a skill and how it applies to programming.

The speaker highlights the importance of learning and applying new knowledge in software development.

The speaker shares a sponsored message about Brilliant.org, a platform for learning computer science, math, and data science.

The speaker concludes with a decision to take a break from AI in their coding workflow, citing concerns about privacy and the desire for a more self-hosted solution.