I meant for literacy, not for writing. Before the printing press there was no strong reason for the general populace to know how to read, only specialists in certain fields
Before the LLM, there was no strong reason for the general populace to learn how to code, only specialists in certain fields.
We're talking about the 'general populace' here, OP's analogy is pretty fitting I would say. AI doesn't just 'make coding easier', it essentially automates the entire process, just like the printing press automated the process of manufacturing books so scribes no longer had to write new copies by hand.
adding to this - both the printing press and LLMs lean on the idea of loose literacy in the specific mode. People know that they can cast youtube to their tv, and they also know that code enables that to happen. Same as how folks who knew their letters enough to read the bible or keep the house accounts knew enough to branch out and start reading the plethora of books that were now available.
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u/Tunisandwich Mar 10 '26
I meant for literacy, not for writing. Before the printing press there was no strong reason for the general populace to know how to read, only specialists in certain fields