Depends on the code, but often yes. The less you care about that specific result, the more efficient it is. One-off tools under 2k lines where you can easily verify the result? Why would I not generate that and save time for more interesting stuff?
Totally agree! I know a guy whose main job is basically to be an Excel expert (nominally he works in logistics), and seeing some of his work convinced me that he's actually a programmer who uses excel as an IDE - akin to visual programming.
It just depends on the environment. Some areas get to experiment with different approaches more than others. On one extreme if I was writing yet another crud app, it's unlikely is need any such tools. On the other, when dealing with data processing/visualisation/ml, it's small experimental tools all over the place.
I’ve used Gemini Pro 2.5 to generate code syntax rewrite tools from me. I asked it to use a compiler SDK that I know from experience is fiddly and frustrating to use. It gave me a working tool in about 10 minutes, while I was actively listening to a meeting.
What if every piece of software any consumer needed could be described this way? Outside of system code this could be everything we ever need. This world is nearly upon us and it is super exciting.
