I don't think so. GPT CODEX and Claude Code are already saying they use AI in their own codebases, and they have huge numbers of active users. Can that really be called a failure?

In my view, it's just that the existing infrastructure layer is so thick that it's not immediately visible—but AI adoption is already quite widespread across many companies.

People say program quality has declined, but I don't think so. The average quality of programs has improved significantly. You can see this by looking at open-source architecture books from 10 to 15 years ago.

That's why I think we need to first define what we actually mean by 'code quality' before discussing this issue.

Realistically, this discussion could easily drift into a debate about code quality. But if you look at older books on open-source architecture, there were many issues—runtime null references, confusing callback references, diamond dependencies, and so on.

These days, many of those problems are caught by linters and other tools. At the micro level, code quality has definitely risen compared to the past.

The real problem is that programs are getting larger. The minimum requirements for a program to be viable have gone up, while the available workforce hasn't kept pace. But in terms of quality, I think we can confidently say that overall code quality has improved compared to the past.

The issue is the gap between micro-level code hygiene and macro-level semantic coherence. And the key question is how we can maintain that macro-level semantic coherence while using AI-generated code. I think these are fundamentally different problems.

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movedx01 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Adoption absolutely did happen, I am not questioning that. What I am questioning is whether it really is the revolution the people selling it want us to believe it is.

Just to disclose: I use those every day, I have two Claude Max 20 subscription myself. I am still in doubt how much more productive professionally it made me. I am having a ton of fun in exploring stuff I never would have otherwise though.

I define software quality in my daily life by this: how often I am delighted by the piece of software I use. Those moment are rare and far between, and it's not getting any better.

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jdw64 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Senior, I respect your opinion. I think your skills are so advanced that you don't feel the impact as much. That's a different perspective.

>I am delighted by the piece of software I use. Those moments are rare and far between, and it's not getting any better.

First, regarding how much satisfaction we get from the software we use—I see that part a bit differently.

Because that's more about UX and product design than code quality. I think it's because in the business domain, people only attempt safe things. In the early days of the internet and the web, people didn't have a clear direction, so there were many bold attempts. Those original attempts felt fresh. But now we have a set of 'norms.' Most people just implement those norms. I think the reason you don't feel that freshness anymore is precisely because you're already so skilled.

What I'm focusing on is this: I'm not sure about my own productivity, but I'm finding joy in exploring areas I couldn't explore before. The problem is that most of this code just ends up implementing solutions that already exist. That seems to be the core issue.

In other words, both you and I have our threshold for 'average' set so high that the threshold for calling something 'good' has become too high as well.

	▲	skydhash 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> Because that's more about UX and product design than code quality. I think it's because in the business domain, people only attempt safe things. Not really. It’s mainly about the lack of frustration. People will learn the most obtuse way of using a software if it’s important. But they want to spend that effort only once, and then have valuable results as the ROI. Meaning no random crashes, no slow process,… When you can have something that runs without babysitting, or just be able to use the tool and do your tasks, it removes a lot of mental load.