Towards Data Science

Code Is Cheap. Engineering Judgement Is Now the Scarce Resource

The barriers to building have collapsed. That shifts the bottleneck to ownership, validation, taste, and deciding what should actually exist The post Code Is Cheap.

Towards Data Science
3d ago

Insight Is Still the Currency of Data Science

The article titled "Insight Is Still the Currency of Data Science" discusses how coding agents free up time for discovery and argues that review practices should evolve to align with analytical work. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on insight rather than merely producing code. The piece was originally published on Towards Data Science.

By Andrew Hinton
Towards Data Science
4d ago

AI Made Data Scientists Faster. Now It’s Expanding the Job.

AI has accelerated data scientists’ productivity, but its influence extends beyond speed. The technology is reshaping who owns data, how judgment is exercised, and the overall career trajectory of data scientists. These changes signal a broader transformation in the field’s structure and responsibilities.

By Yu Dong
Towards Data Science
2d ago

Your AI Bill Is a Toll Booth. Stop Paying Twice.

The article titled "Your AI Bill Is a Toll Booth. Stop Paying Twice." discusses how users are unexpectedly paying more for AI services than anticipated, likening the experience to a toll booth where one pays twice. It highlights the unseen costs that can arise when using AI tools and urges readers to be vigilant about their expenses. The piece was first published on Towards Data Science.

By Gursimar Singh
Towards Data Science
Aug 28

Why Claude Code Time Estimates Are Poor

The article titled "Why Claude Code Time Estimates Are Poor" discusses the challenges and shortcomings of using Claude, an LLM, for estimating code development time. It highlights how these estimates can be unreliable and offers insights into improving communication when working with LLM programming tools.

By Eivind Kjosbakken
Simon Willison
Sep 14

Quoting Laurie Voss

Laurie Voss argues that while the cost of writing code has fallen dramatically, the costs of reviewing, fixing, and operating software are rising and will continue to do so. She emphasizes that the true expense lies in understanding user needs, precisely defining requirements, and ensuring a pleasant user experience—costs that are unique to each software product and do not scale with reuse. As software demand grows without an upper limit, these user‑centric costs will dominate the overall development effort.

Towards Data Science
Aug 25

A New Towards Data Science: A Faster Site and a Brand-New Contributor Portal

Towards Data Science has announced a major overhaul of its website and contributor portal. The new site promises faster performance and a brand‑new portal for writers, aiming to improve the experience for both readers and contributors. The update is positioned as a significant upgrade for anyone who reads, writes, or both on the platform.

By TDS Editors