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.NET Smart Components

devblogs.microsoft.com

30 pointssoheilpro9 comments

I am especially excited for the Smart ComboBox:

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/dotnet/introducing-dotnet-sma...

In general, I see the idea of semantic matching instead of textual matching as one of the great, pragmatic applications of the current technology.

Somewhat related fun application of this concept is this: https://neal.fun/infinite-craft/ (the combination outputs are generated by LLMs)

Seems to me like a way for Microsoft to sell more azure services and compute time.

Is it just me, or is using GPT overkill to deliver these features?

The features described seem of dubious general value, but don’t seem like things that would work without an LLM, especially the smart text area. (Smart ComboBox sounds like it might be more generally useful than the others.)

But the point of these seems to be more of a solution looking for a problem than attempt to find an efficient solution to an identified problem. Or, rather, they are one of Microsoft’s many efforts as part of looking for a solution to their problem of “how to do we monetize our investment into AI technology” not a solution to customer problems.

Fair point. But putting on my user hat, that Smart Paste sounds pretty handy if it works half decently. I'm thinking CRM entry use cases and the like.

But if Smart Paste makes errors even 1% of the time then that would be astonishing from an LLM benchmark POV and still completely unacceptable from a CRM reliability POV. Nobody wants a data entry system where you have to fix 1 in 100 rows because the computer made an error.

This isn't particular to Microsoft. The current profusion of reaching attempts to tack AI onto everything following the popularity of LLM-based products fits the familiar arc of any hyped next big thing in tech.

I encourage people to regularly browse HN stories and comments from N years ago to force yourself to confront the cultural obsessions of yesteryear that have faded from memory.

I'm thinking of all the ways this complicates running/maintaining a production application vs. the value gained, and it's not looking positive.

that is not a ratio that microsoft ever think about

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