AWS pricing for Kiro dev tool dubbed 'a wallet-wrecking tragedy' AWS has introduced new pricing for Kiro, its AI-driven coding tool, but unlike the pricing originally announced, the latest plans are "a wallet-wrecking tragedy," according to many of its users. "Kiro's spec-driven AI IDE is a gem," said open source PHP and Laravel engineer Antonio Ribeiro on GitHub, "until I saw your new …
Spot on !!!
As an addendum, you could always spend a small part of the 'AI' bill to learn how to code 'properly' !!!
It might take some effort ..... BUT trying to use 'AI' to do it and then 'correcting' the code afterwards is not cheap or easy.
In fact it is a 'Catch 22' ... if you are 'good enough' to correct the 'AI' spawned code then you don't need it BUT if you don't correct the code you are back at square one, only a poorer and massively frustrated at getting nowhere for your efforts.
:)
How good is the "AI"?
I use it for my own project, lightly judiging by a few comments. I use a number of models, some local. Usually, in the way you would scour the Internet for examples when struggling. I see what the AI comes up. Maybe I'm rubbish at prompting but when I tried to use it to create large blocks in my app it gets me in a mess. It doesn't seem to look at what is architecturally good, easy to read and debug. I am far from expert but it "appears" using AI to create large pieces of code could yield a frightening mess that leads to all sorts of issues with bugs and security holes. Even more than people do.
So maybe there is a balance on how it's used with smaller productivity gains but still gains? Will that pay for the size of some investments? Probably not. But like cloud it's an industry that has been hyped massively and must fall back to somewhere sensible.
ALWAYS keep in mind the recent study that demonstrated that you THINK you are much more productive with AI than you actually are. If you use it "a little", you will inevitably come to use it much more than you should.
Just say no.
The net effect of a widespread introduction of these very ordinary coding tools could well drive the rapidly decreasing number of competent coders from the Industry and dissuade new entrants except for those whose skills would always be inferior to the coding tool.
Clearly with stagnant or decreasing salaries and insecure or vanishingly career paths in IT, there won't be a stampede into relevant studies or graduates seeking employment in the IT sector.
This might well impact free/libre software as many contributors work in the industry as their "day job" (or did until recently) or neophytes working on projects to gain experience and exposure in order to secure future employment in the industry.
If the possibility of gainful employment vanishes how many of these might well think "sod this for a game of soldiers" and abandon their efforts entirely or license their work educational and non-commercial only. (Commercial licences available.)
So you fire most of your developers because "AI will do it cheaper".
Then you find out a) you'll spend far more on AI requests than the developers cost and b) the code is still not up to even the standard of that put out by people whose understanding of the language you work in is quite limited.
What's that I smell? Could it be that you've left your irony on the fire too long?
This is fairly amusing.
The paradox may be that AI gets quite good at coding. But not perfect. Which means you need a senior dev to analyse, correct and sign off the code. More to go bug-squashing. Indeed you probably need a senior dev to specify the project to AI in the first place to avoid 'ambiguities'.
Relying on ageing greybeards when the route to senior dev is disrupted/obliterated by AI doing the easy less critical stuff that a junior coder would have done. So where is the next generation of senior devs going to learn their trade?
It will be funny, because when you have to deal with single developers, especially where there are no unions and no mandatory minimun salaties specified by industry-wide contracts, companies are at an advantage, and usually can pay most developers what they like.
When they will have to deal with a few AI molochs, they will be the weaker part, and the molochs will set the price. A lot of C-suite executives will start to look far, far less smart... and they will be replaced by an AI too.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2025
