Why I am not worried about AI taking over the world! - cctalk

2 Apr 2025

So, I am working on another fun project on my trusty old TRS-80's.
I need the ability to do multi-line functions which TRS-80 BASIC
does not support.  But in hopes of finding something where someone
added that capability in the distant past (there were lots of features
added by various people over time) I decided to just try a Google
Search.  As we all know Google now begins results with an AI generated
answer to your question.  This is what I got:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
In TRS-80 BASIC, you can create multi-line functions (subroutines)
  using the DEF FN statement, allowing you to define a function that
  can perform a specific task and be called from different parts of
  your program.

Here's how it works:

DEF FN Statement:

You use the DEF FN statement to define a function, followed by the
function name (e.g., FNMyFunction), a set of parentheses for any
arguments, and then the code that the function will execute.

Example: 10 DEF FNC(X,Y) = X*X + Y*Y defines a function named FNC
  that takes two arguments (X and Y) and returns the sum of their squares.
Function Call:
To use the function, you simply call it by its name, passing in the
  necessary arguments.
Example: 20 PRINT FNC(3,4) would print the value returned by the FNC
  function when called with arguments 3 and 4, which is 25.
Multi-line Functions:
You can extend the DEF FN statement to span multiple lines, allowing
  for more complex logic within the function.
Example:
Code

         10 DEF FNC(X,Y)
         20  LET TEMP = X * X
         30  LET TEMP = TEMP + Y * Y
         40  DEF FN END
         50 PRINT FNC(3,4)
This example defines a function that calculates the sum of squares
  of two numbers, but the calculation is broken down into multiple
  lines for readability.
Key Points:
Line Numbers:
TRS-80 BASIC relies on line numbers, so make sure to use them
  appropriately when defining multi-line functions.
Function Name:
Function names must start with FN followed by a valid identifier
  (e.g., FNC, FNMyFunction).
DEF FN END:
You need to use DEF FN END to mark the end of the function
  definition, especially when using multi-line functions.
Scope:
Functions are defined within the scope of the program and are
  accessible from anywhere in the program.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Which is both wrong and totally absurd.

And I see things all the time about letting AI write your code for you.
Does anyone actually trust AI to write code?

bill