Voice of the DBA

Tag: AI

  • Common Algorithm Concerns

    When we build software, many of us use the same algorithms to solve problems. We might choose a similar method for a quicksort or a lambda validation or a regular expression. For database work, your code for a running total (or other common challenge) is likely very similar to many other people. At least on the same platform. You might solve this differently in SQL Server and Oracle, but for the same type of database, many of us write very similar code.

    Actually, many developers might copy and paste an answer from SQL Server Central, Stack Overflow, or another site. I’m not sure if I think this is good or bad, as it’s a good idea to reuse code if it solves the same problem. If you copy it and don’t test it, that’s bad. After all, the code might not solve your slightly different problem if you don’t check it.

    In the modern world, if we build software for our business using an AI assistant, could our company be liable if we knew our competitors were using the same AI service? Is this any different than a human developer performing a copy/paste from SQL Server Central? I don’t think it is in many cases, though the same concerns about intellectual property might be present in either case.

    The concerns over AI seem murky in some sense, especially as the AI might “generate” code that isn’t directly available on some public resource. I do think that this is more of a collusion using a service than an algorithm. Still, in the hyper-connected world, where many of our applications might look to take advantage of some service instead of implementing it ourselves, this could be an issue.

    I ran across a piece that discusses a lawsuit about a common pricing algorithm being used by different hotels. In this case, it’s not that the developers at different hotels used the same code, but rather that the hotels used the same service from a company, which of course, used the same code for all their customers. Whether you think this is a valid lawsuit or not, this is the type of legal action that others might bring if two competitors ended up using the same AI service and developed very similar code that might behave the same way.

    I don’t think that AIs (at present) can actually develop new algorithms or solve problems in a new way. Instead, they predict the likely solution based on how they’ve been trained by similar scenarios. In that case, how concerned are we about how getting common solutions in disparate pieces of software? For most of us, I think we’ve be pleased that we have well-tested (hopefully) code that runs efficiently (again, hopefully) being re-used in many places. That would be better for most systems in the world.

    What isn’t better is if humans become more adept at specifying prompts and producing software without lots of specialized expertise. For many developers that might be average, or even slightly below average, this might cause them concern for the security of their position. With good reason, as labor is one of the most expensive parts of building software.

    Ultimately, just as with any other position, the best way to build a safe, secure career, is to continue to build your skills and produce value for your employer. That way it’s unlikely any AI will ever outperform you.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

    Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

  • Copilot Reminded Me How To Find a File Handle

    Recently I was trying to delete a folder and kept getting the “something is using this, try again” dialog. It was annoying, but I couldn’t figure out what process had this folder locked. I know there are ways to do this, but I decided to ask Copilot how to do this.

    I did this in the Edge browser, since that’s the easy thing. Note: I was actually on Windows 10, not 11.

    I got this response.

    2024-05-21 11_28_16-2023-John S & Atieh V Jones-Workpapers-12.31.23 Jones, John S Organizer 23486 V1

    I then hit Ctrl+Shift+Esc and got the Task Manager. From there, I can see Resource Monitor at the bottom of the Performance tab.

    2024-05-21 11_32_12-Task Manager

    I opened this and it started in the CPU tab. I typed in the name of my folder, and I saw that there was a CMD window open with the handle. I then realized I had a window in my list, which I exited.

    2024-05-21 11_33_08-Resource Monitor

    Once I did this, I could delete the folder.

    It This Better?

    Not necessarily. If I run a search, I see lots of results. In this case, any of these could be clicked, but in the past, I’ve often had to click multiple results to find something that works. I supposed Copilot could have given me a poor answer, and I’d have to refine the prompt, so the process might be the same.

    Except.

    Here I am working in one place and not clicking other links, potentially finding down sites, 404s, or other issues. It feels slightly cleaner. It also means I can have context if I refine my search.

    I don’t know if it’s better, but I find myself leaving an Edge tab open to Copilot to try stuff.

  • T-SQL Tuesday #173–The AI Job Helper

    tsqltuesdayThis month I had a new host, Pinal Dave. I was surprised to see he hadn’t hosted, but I didn’t see him in the list. His invite is interesting, as AI has been on his mind. I pinged him after listening to him on a webinar, and his invite reflects the topic: Has AI Helped with Your SQL Server Job?

    It seems that our topics stray a bit further from core SQL topics as the world becomes more complex, and honestly, as more and more of us do things beyond just managing a server.

    In any case, that’s the topic, and if you want to host, ping me.

    AI Assistance

    Has AI helped me? I don’t do a lot of SQL Server work, but I continue to learn about the platform and I do find myself writing code or helping customers find ways to build database software. I also started a short series on AI stuff as I experiment with tools and techniques.

    In general, I don’t find Copilot or ChatGPT (or other tools) that helpful with SQL Server. I think I haven’t spent enough time, but honestly, I struggle to create prompts and work with things. However, I know there is something. If you watch Pinal’s webinar, AI isn’t perfect, but it’s like a coworker making some suggestions of things you might not have thought of.

    Where I have found it useful is doing a question of an AI, often in Bing/Edge chat, and using that as a first search engine for what I want to look for rather than getting a list of results and clicking through them. In that sense, it’s saved some time.

    However, I know I still need to evaluate what comes back and make an informed decision if the suggestion or code will actually work.

    And of course, I need to test it.

  • Assistants in the Age of AI

    When I started working for a living, there were secretaries in many organizations. These were people who actually did a lot of correspondence (written or verbal) and busy work for managers or executives. Over time, as email and computers became commonplace on desks, I saw fewer of these positions. As more people started to send email, we had to actually alter software to allow assistants to impersonate their bosses and manage the volume of communications that many of us deal with.

    We’re in a new age of assistants with the emergence of Generative AIs powered by LLMs that can appear to respond in a conversational style to requests and perform actions on our behalf. In this new era, will AIs function as old-style secretaries, handling simple, but important tasks? Are they the trusted helpers that secretaries used to be for many executives? Are we all going to have an assistant, and do we want one, or need one?

    There was a post on the role of AIs in this new world, and their ability to not only be a cheap, reliable assistant for many of us, but also a powerful tool for those that still have personal assistants helping them manage their workload. However, it’s not a tool that takes the place of a secretary, for many reasons mentioned in the post. It’s just a tool that can help manage some work, but isn’t really intelligent, empathetic, or able to discern subtleties that come from the context of the humans involved in a situation.

    In many ways, that’s what I see for Copilot-like AIs used by technical people. They are assistants, and they can help with tasks, but with general, tedious, common tasks. They are a better search engine, and they can handle small tasks, but they aren’t replacing talented people, and they certainly don’t always understand enough of the context of a particular situation. If a general or common solution works, AIs are good, but in terms of being efficient and optimal when solving subtle, complex problems, we still need a human to guide the AI and assess whether the response is appropriate.

    I am both enamored by AI, but also very skeptical that the technology will do more than provide faster searching for information and light guidance of options. Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong, but I think that continuing to improve your own judgment while learning through experience will ensure that you not only are more valuable than an AI, but that you can use one effectively as a tool. A useful assistant, but one that you know to overrule when appropriate.

    Steve Jones

    Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.