Google Project Teaches Code to Write Itself
January 18, 2023
Google may have an opportunity to demonstrate how its smart software can deal with the upstart ChatGPT. Google has software that can write more smart software. Imagine. Google “good enough” code to deliver good enough software for good enough search. Maybe I should say, “Once good enough?”
Ever conscious of its bottom line, Google knows saving money on resources is as good as raking in ad dollars. To that end, Yahoo Finance reveals, “Google Has a Secretive Project that Could Reduce the Need for Human Engineers.” Goodbye, pesky payroll. That software does not protest management decisions may be just a side benefit. Writer Jordan Parker Erb reveals:
“The project is part of a broader push by Google into ‘generative AI’ — and it could have profound implications for the company’s future and developers who write code. Generative AI, a tech that uses algorithms to create images, videos, and more, has recently become the hottest thing in Silicon Valley. In this case, the goal is to reduce the need for humans to write and update code, while maintaining code quality. Doing so could greatly impact the work of human engineers in the future. ‘The idea was: how do we go from one version to the next without hiring all these software engineers?’ said a person familiar with the project when it was at X, the company’s moonshot unit.”
According to the brief write-up, the project was called “Pitchfork” while at X. Perhaps not the most sensitive name to workers concerned with being flung out the door. No wonder the company has not trumpeted its existence. The project has since moved to Google Labs, a shift Erb notes reveals its importance to Google execs. The sooner it can be rid of those vexing human employees, the better.
And the pitchfork? A potentially dangerous tool.
Cynthia Murrell, January 10, 2023
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