Reflections on AI-assisted Programming

This article by Yihui Xie details his personal journey with AI-assisted programming, specifically using GitHub Copilot to build the tinyimg package, a Rust-based R package. He describes how he leveraged Copilot's cloud-based capabilities to write code, set up GitHub Actions, and fix errors across multiple platforms while he slept. The author contrasts his initial skepticism with the impressive productivity gains, noting AI's strength in handling routine coding tasks and enabling work in unfamiliar languages like Rust. The piece offers a candid look at the challenges and benefits of AI collaboration in software development, emphasizing the exhausting yet rewarding process of refining AI-generated code.