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That was an amazingly good read.

Possible Spoiler.

What is the process for programmatically generating code that achieved a certain result without caring about efficiency?

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Genetic algorithms create results like the situation described in the story all the time. When put to developing physical circuits, they develop circuits with components which are not even connected to anything but which can not be removed without preventing it from functioning. They generate the most insane-looking solutions you could imagine and typically reveal just how well you did at defining what you actually wanted. As they say in the story, explaining the outcome you want precisely enough is no different or easier than programming.

Thanks for the tip. I found a post [0] describing genetic algorithms for circuit design that helped clarify the process. Coincidentally, the circuit described has a component that does nothing.

[0] http://hforsten.com/evolutionary-algorithms-and-analog-elect...

This may classify as a spoiler ...

Consider Malbolge and the methodology used to create "Hello World":

"... it was generated by a beam search algorithm ..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbolge

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