> When one prompts an AI to "write me a to-do list app", what they really mean is that "write me a to-do list app that is better that I have imagined so far", which does not really require detailed spec.

If someone was making a serious request for a to-do list app, they presumably want it to do something different from or better than the dozens of to-do list apps that are already out there. Which would require them to somehow explain what that something was, assuming it's even possible.

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ms_menardi 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It could be an issue of discoverability too. Maybe they just haven't found the to-do app that does what they want, and it's easier to just... make one from scratch.

	▲	carlmr 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Which is not getting better. I'd pay you 10€ for a TODO app that improved my life meaningfully. It would obviously need to have great UX and be stable. Those are table stakes. I don't have the time to look at all these apps though. If somebody tells me they made a great TODO app, I'm already mentally filtering them out. There's just too much noise here. Does your TODO app solve any meaningful problem beyond the bare minimum? Does it solve your procrastination? Does it remind you at the right time? If it doesn't answer this in the first 2 seconds of your pitch you're out.

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pixelbart 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Would a musician refrain from writing a love song because there are already better love songs?

	▲	lmm 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Would a musician refrain from writing a love song because there are already better love songs? Yes; at least, I would hope a musician who was writing a love song was doing so because they want it to do something different from or better than other existing love songs. (Or they might be doing it to practice their songwriting skills - just as a programmer might write a todo app to practice their programming skills - but it makes no sense to use an AI for that)