Copyrightability of LLM-generated code: Can we license “vibe code” into Free Software? - FSFE
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The use of large language models (“LLMs”) has exploded in recent years, including in the generation of source code. But even as their usage gains popularit...
    • leduvisc00l@lemmy.zip
      1·
      2 days ago

      Unlike art, there are strict definitions of “best things” in practical programming: Readability, speed, ease of use (in final product), and more stuff but I don’t know. And source code, is usually just duplications of source code in the past that achieve those things, group into a single project. So if every stolen code was illegal, then bigger than 95% of programmers are criminals

      There are competitions about the most unique source code (obfuscated C code), but most of them are just for shits and giggles, not to put in practice at all

      TLDR: Programming is mainly putting all the good things together, and depend on the time, there is only one best thing, for different categories: Readability, speed,… . Programming doesn’t aim for code originality, but there are competitions about it for shits and giggles

    • hexagonwin@lemmy.today
      8·
      8 days ago

      tbh imo it might be a good thing if we can take some proprietary blob, let an LLM reverse engineer and “reimplement” the original code and make that be free software. though i highly doubt that would be the case because it doesn’t benefit corporate asshats.

      • NightFantom@slrpnk.net
        5·
        8 days ago

        Yeah that would also mean they can take “viral” open source software that is currently hard to use in proprietary software because it requires everything that’s built on top of it to copy the licence, and instead “rewrite” it and bypass that licence.

        So if this works one way, it’ll also work the other, and that will probably massively benefit the corporate asshats. I’m not a fan of copyright, but it’s a necessary evil to protect our freedom from big corpo.

  • datavoid@sh.itjust.works
    7·
    8 days ago

    To me the very term “vibe coding” describes a certain lack of understanding of what is generated. If you’re getting by on vibes, you probably aren’t actually steering the ship.

    I don’t think A.I. coding tools are inherently bad, but not understanding what your code actually does (or even what it is supposed to do) definitely is.