The Eternal Sloptember
The article discusses the limitations of AI agents in software development, arguing that they cannot effectively program. While AI can be useful for certain tasks, it often produces subpar results compared to human programmers. The author expresses concern that reliance on AI could lead to a decline in code quality and overall output in organizations.
- ▪AI agents are sophisticated statistical models that mimic programming but cannot program effectively.
- ▪The author believes that while AI is useful for quick prototypes, it falls short of the standards required for software engineering.
- ▪There is a risk that organizations relying on AI will produce more low-quality code, leading to a decline in overall output.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
The Eternal Sloptember May 24, 2026 I’m calling it now, the adoption of AI agents into software development will be one of the most costly mistakes in the field’s history. Agents cannot program, and it’s taking longer and longer to realize that they can’t. They are a highly sophisticated statistical model designed to mimic the distribution of programming. The output is broken, but in a way that’s getting harder and harder to detect. Which is exactly what you’d expect from an increasingly accurate statistical model. At first, I rejected this. I bought into the Twitter explanation of status anxiety.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at the singularity is nearer.
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