Astra for Coding: Why Are We Doing This Again?
A software engineer critiques the current state of AI development, comparing it to the concept of 'involution' where effort increases without meaningful output. The author shares a failed experiment using an AI agent factory to build software, concluding that current models are not yet ready for autonomous engineering.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing skepticism among developers regarding the practical utility of AI agents in complex software engineering workflows.
I’m more and more convinced that all of AI engineering is Neijuan (内卷, meaning curl inwards). In China it describes a system that demands ever more effort and competition without improving output. The way in which it sometimes shows up in the West is the 996 nonsense . The English term for Neijuan is “Involution” from the book Agricultural Involution . Agricultural involution describes the intensification of farming that raises productivity per square meter while leaving productivity per head unchanged.
Which brings me to GPT 6 Astra. Astra is by all accounts an incredibly impressive model. There is really not much I can say against this. It’s amazing at computer use, understands images and complex topics, and it’s relentless in its pursuit of completion. It is absolutely impressive; these types of models are going to change the world in one form or another.
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