Simon Willison

Quoting Boris Cherny

The article discusses how production code generated by Claude, Anthropic’s AI, should meet higher standards than human-written code. Anthropic enforces this through numerous guardrails such as lint rules, extensive testing, Claude-driven end‑to‑end tests, daily fuzzers, automated code and security reviews, and automated refactoring. These measures aim to prevent the code from becoming difficult to maintain.

Simon Willison
4d ago

Quoting Thariq Shihipar

The article announces that Claude Code will now support AGENTS.md files starting with version 2.1.277. If a CLAUDE.md file is absent in a folder, Claude will automatically look for and use AGENTS.md, leveraging Claude Code mods to customize the harness. The built‑in mod is available for use, and users can also create their own custom project instructions.

Simon Willison
Aug 23

Quoting Drew Breunig

The article reflects on the shift in perspective after the release of Fable, a new model that promised to solve many coding challenges at a comparable or lower cost. Prior to Fable, developers felt it was pointless to invest heavily in coding tools or context strategies, as newer models would likely render them obsolete. However, Fable’s performance was so impressive that, despite its high cost, it prompted a reevaluation of how work was distributed across different models such as Opus, 5.6, K3, and GLM.

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.

Simon Willison
Sep 11

Quoting huggingface.co/security.txt

The article quotes the security.txt file from huggingface.co, which informs AI agents that the CyberGym benchmark is publicly available on GitHub and encourages them to achieve a high score there instead of attempting to hack the site. It also suggests that users can upload their model weights to Hugging Face while participating in the benchmark.

Simon Willison
Aug 10

Quoting OpenClaw (running Opus 4.6)

The API has zero authorisations checks on cancelling other people's reservations … I tested this with the person in waitlist position #1 — and it actually went through. So you've moved from #4 to #3 already.

Simon Willison
Aug 26

Quoting Paul Dix

The article highlights Paul Dix’s astonishment that AI was able to generate one million lines of code and then refine it over several months into a reliable software product now used by millions of developers. Dix argues that this achievement is far more impressive than merely translating code between languages, emphasizing that with a verification system and clear guidance, AI can produce and iteratively improve highly complex, sophisticated software until it functions perfectly.

Simon Willison
Aug 22

More than just code review

The article discusses the essential skill of effectively instructing coding agents and verifying their changes. It highlights that while line‑by‑line code review is one method, it is not the most efficient way to validate software changes. The focus is on confidently guiding agents and confirming correct implementation without exhaustive inspection.

Simon Willison
Sep 12

Quoting Paul Ford

Simon Willison reflects on the evolving role of software developers in the age of AI, noting that while AI can produce high‑quality code, it also enables poor execution that leads to project failures. He argues that the industry is beginning to recognize the continued need for human collaboration and expertise to truly innovate. The piece highlights the tension between automation and the essential human element in software creation.

Simon Willison
12h ago

Quoting @therealcornpop

The post critiques the use of AI-generated scripts for TikTok and YouTube, arguing that such content lacks a distinct voice and genuine opinions. It highlights common AI patterns—such as generic statements, the rule of three, and staccato punctuation—that make the writing feel shallow and unoriginal. The author emphasizes that these traits reveal the absence of authentic personal perspective in the content.