Editing Magnifica Humanitas: A Plain-Language Overview (section)

=== AI should increase human capability, not erase human responsibility ===

The Virtuous Programmer Initiative is not hostile to artificial intelligence.

AI can be extraordinarily useful.

It can help explain unfamiliar code.

It can prepare drafts.

It can suggest tests.

It can help generate documentation.

It can produce first versions of GUI layouts.

It can assist with debugging.

It can help a programmer explore alternatives faster than he could alone.

The Perl Lazarus work already demonstrates some of these possibilities.

But AI remains a tool.

The programmer remains responsible for understanding what is produced, determining whether it is appropriate, testing it, correcting it, and deciding whether it should be used at all.

This is one of the clearest points of convergence with ''Magnifica Humanitas''.

The Virtuous Programmer should seek:

<blockquote>
'''automation without abdication.'''
</blockquote>

We can delegate computation.

We can delegate repetitive manipulation.

We can delegate the production of drafts.

We cannot delegate moral responsibility simply by placing an algorithm between ourselves and the consequences.