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Comment by dahfizz | Hacker News Reader

> DALLE is a continuation of Photoshop. Compilers didn't put programmers out of business, it just moved them one layer up.

It moves artists so far "up the stack" that being an artist becomes redundant.

If C-level execs could just ask their computer to generate the exact website they wanted, there would be a lot less web devs out there.

Tools allow _skilled professionals_ to do their job better. The existence of GCC doesn't make the average Joe a programmer; it makes programmers more productive.

DALLE allows any schmuck with zero artistic talent to generate their own art. It obviates the need for artists.

DALLE is to artists what self-driving cars are to truckers.

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> DALLE allows any schmuck with zero artistic talent to generate their own art. It obviates the need for artists.

The same way Wordpress obviates the need for web devs.

> DALLE is to artists what self-driving cars are to truckers.

Always 10 years away from replacing them?

Like many iterative technologies, Wordpress had the right idea with clunky, underdeveloped execution. Nevertheless it was wildly successful but the way that it works often requires some web development (or at least technical administration).

Wix and Squarespace (the spiritual successors to Wordpress) however have undoubtedly put lots (most?) contract WebDevs out of business. There are still plenty around - go check Fiverr or UpWork. However it's impossible to argue that these tools haven't made it easier for non-web devs to build a fully-featured and beautiful site for a fraction of the cost in a fraction of the time. It used to be that these no-code site builders all looked crappy and cookie cutter but in the past few years they've really upped the quality of their templates such that they often are indistinguishable from a "handmade" landing page.

I think the path is likely to be similar for these AI image and text generators.

Depends on what kind of complexity a website requires. Predominantly static portfolio or a website with basic ecommerce functions? Sure. Custom internal workflow and lots of externally interactive stuff with an API? Yeah, you're not going to be served well by Wix or Squarespace. Different tools for different tasks. It's silly to compare a website for the local salon with a platform/utility/tool/whatever.

> The same way Wordpress obviates the need for web devs.

Devs had to step up to create something better than Wordpress to stay on the market.

The same way, artists have now to create something better than DALL-E results.

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