I have been reading lobste.rs on and off for a few months, and the anti-AI vibes have always stood out. I don’t jump in to provide a counterpoint in any of the anti-AI threads because my account there is associated with my real name, and I don’t want to grief anyone who is particularly passionate about the anti-AI rhetoric. I understand and appreciate the concerns people have about irresponsible code, or unexamined AI use, so I don’t disagree with any reasonable stances.

Lately, it seems people have been getting more intense about being anti-AI, and it seems reflected in US politics as well, like the recent news about Mamdani banning it in NYC schools. But this thread is not about politics, or trying to shift anti-AI rhetoric. My question is how do I get taken seriously when there is, what feels like, an unfair label of slop if someone uses AI?

For reference, I am disabled and I get a lot of help from using AI as a coding assistant. For reference I made this thread here previously, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41543666 I have a lot of code I self-host or keep private because when I was starting out I got a lot of flack for not being a real software engineer (it’s a long story, I am not interested in telling it), so I never got the confidence or desire to share things I build with people. A coding assistant helps provide structure that I don’t trust myself to impose. The problem is now it seems like I’ll have to contend with the label of AI slopware engineer instead even after going through training and education.

So it seems like there’s never going to be anyway I’ll ever be good enough or real enough for these same types of people. I am not trying to impress them anyway, but I worry their POV is going to poison the well for people like me. So what do I do?

I’ll also give some unsolicited advice to anyone reading this who might consider themselves a real engineer: be a better teacher and mentor. If you want standards, and value skills, then either tell people how to learn, or teach them. No one helped me when I was starting out, and no one mentored me. AI is good for someone like me who no one helps and only judges. Promise I am not being melodramatic, just saying what life has been like. I hope others get luckier.