In this episode of WPwatercooler, titled “To Bot or Not to Bot,” hosts Jason Tucker, Sé Reed, and Jason Cosper dive into the implications and ethical considerations of utilizing bots, specifically ChatGPT, in the realm of WordPress development. The discussion kicks off with an anecdote from Sé, who experimented with using ChatGPT to solve a coding problem related to grouping WordPress pages in the admin area. This led to a broader conversation about the reliability, safety, and future role of AI-generated code in production environments. The episode touches on themes such as the balance between automation and manual oversight, the evolving landscape of WordPress plugin development, and the importance of adhering to coding standards. Throughout, the hosts share personal experiences, concerns, and the potential they see in integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into their workflows, all while maintaining a critical eye on the implications for developers and the wider WordPress community.

Links

https://github.com/WordPress/WordPress-Coding-Standards
https://fedi.simonwillison.net/@simon/112147026040154264
https://labs.perplexity.ai
https://huggingface.co/docs/transformers/model_doc/code_llama
https://unmaintained.tech

Chapters

00:00 Intro
00:16 Introducing the Hosts and Their Quirky Banter
01:03 Inspiration from Discord: Tackling WordPress Page Chaos
06:18 The Quest for Better Page Organization: A Plugin Solution
08:40 ChatGPT to the Rescue: Crafting a Custom Plugin
10:54 Testing and Tweaking: The Plugin’s Journey to GitHub
12:28 The Ethical Dilemma: Using Bots for Code Generation
14:34 Learning to Code with ChatGPT: A Personal Journey
17:59 Ensuring Code Quality: The Role of Large Language Models
20:44 The Future of Plugin Development: Community Collaboration
22:00 The Open Source Dilemma: Plugins, Patches, and the Power of Collaboration
23:00 Navigating the Free vs. Pro Plugin Conundrum
23:47 The No Maintenance Intended Tag: A New Approach to Open Source
24:37 The Challenges of Community Contributions and Code Reviews
25:06 Harnessing AI for Code Generation: A New Frontier
29:49 The Trust Crisis in Plugin Repositories
35:01 AI vs. Traditional Coding: Navigating the New Landscape
39:06 The Ethical Dilemma of Using AI-Generated Code
43:39 Collaborative Coding with AI: The Future of Development?

What is WPwatercooler?
WPwatercooler is streamed live and recorded as the self-titled show on the WPwatercooler Network. Our objective with the show since the beginning has been to help people in this industry have a place to hear people, much like themselves, talk about the technologies and methods we all use on a daily basis. We named WPwatercooler to be that, the watercooler that WordPress folks can gather around and participate in the conversation, or just sit back and learn from the discussion. Our listeners and contributors come from all walks of life and all backgrounds. We strive to make this place as welcoming and accessible as we can. Learn more at https://www.wpwatercooler.com/wpwatercooler

What is Dev Branch?
Dev Branch is streamed live and recorded monthly on the first friday of the month as the developer-focused discussions of the WPwatercooler Network. Dev Branch is released on its own podcast feed and made available live and on-demand in video format on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitch. Learn more at https://www.wpwatercooler.com/devbranch