Things I Read This Week

On Engineering

Chip Huyen on Pitfalls When Building Gen AI

This is a great post if you're asking "should I use AI for that?"

Use generative AI when you don't need generative AI

This pitfall is so common when technologies are new. I love Chip's example because using AI to save on electrical bills is like using a diesel generator to charge your EV.

Common pitfalls when building generative AI applications

As we’re still in the early days of building applications with foundation models, it’s normal to make mistakes. This is a quick note with examples of some of the most common pitfalls that I’ve seen, both from public case studies and from my personal experience.

Chip HuyenChip Huyen

Vibe Coding

I hate it.

This has also made me think that vibe coding existed before LLMs were widely accessible. We just called it "legacy" code.

On Security and Critical Thinking

Pairwise Authentication of Humans

Ever worry an AI replicant is calling you? Yeah, me too. You and your friends can generate OTP codes to verify if you're real.

Pairwise Authentication of Humans - Schneier on Security

Here’s an easy system for two humans to remotely authenticate to each other, so they can be sure that neither are digital impersonations. To mitigate that risk, I have developed this simple solution where you can setup a unique time-based one-time passcode (TOTP) between any pair of persons. This is how it works: Two people, Person A and Person B, sit in front of the same computer and open this page; They input their respective names (e.g. Alice and Bob) onto the same page, and click “Generate”; The page will generate two TOTP QR codes, one for Alice and one for Bob;…

Schneier on SecurityBruce Schneier

When the axe came into the forest, the trees said: the handle is one of us.

When the LLM came into engineering the developers said: hey, it's made of code!

Quote Origin: The Trees Voted for the Axe Because the Axe Handle Was Made of Wood – Quote Investigator®

quoteresearch

On Technology & Society

First distributed gate teleportation

I know next to nothing about quantum computing. But this was interesting. distributed gate teleportation means we could soon do large-scale quantum computing.

Oxford team teleports first quantum gate in landmark paper

Einstein’s spooky action at a distance just got an upgrade

The RegisterBrandon Vigliarolo

We’re Already at Risk of Ceding Our Humanity to AI

The idea that machines could or should take over making art or writing diminishes the work of teachers, of human-authored books about how to make art and to write, and the fact that people can learn stuff.

We’re Already at Risk of Ceding Our Humanity to AI

Machines It’s 2019. I’m in a bar in Providence, Rhode Island, chatting with graduate students and researchers with PhDs. One of them, who holds a PhD in Latin American literature, observed approvin…

Literary HubSurekha Davies