The 5 ChatGPT Prompts That Represented the State of Coding in 2023

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2023 was the year that AI is blowing up, right? The Secret Developer has been using prompts to improve their codebase all year and has learned one or two things about getting good responses from AI.

So in the fullest spirit of fun let us look at five prompts that captured the state of tech in 2023. Remember, these are just for laughs, so don’t get your code spaghetti!

“Can You Write My Entire Codebase?”

This is a variation on deciding that the whole project should be deleted. After the advent of AI everyone and their grandma feel that they can use AI to magic up a fully functional application.

“AI is a tool, not a genie in a bottle. I’ve seen this type of prompt from startups to desperate students hoping that AI would solve all of their problems.

Spoiler: AI won’t solve all of your problems.”

“Explain Quantum Computing Like I’m Five”

Using the current hyped technology to understand the next hype train seems such a good idea. Brilliant!

“This prompt has become the go-to for anyone trying to ride the next wave that is approaching us. Imagine what is going to happen if children can explain this most difficult of technologies? The world will change.

Luckily we aren’t going to start awarding kindergartners PhDs quite yet as even the most advanced AI can’t explain quantum computing in a way that kids can get. Not in 2023.”

“Generate a Machine Learning Model for Predicting Stock Prices”

Solve your job crisis (those 2023 layoffs sucked) by using AI to create a passive income. Use the prompt “What passive income generation can you teach me” and predicting stock prices will be right there.

“No one reading this blog is likely to be The Wolf of Wall Street anytime soon. ChatGPT (Gemini or whatever, hipster) isn’t going to come up with an accurate way of predicting stock prices. The current models simply are not accurate, sorry. Maybe go into real estate?”

“Create a Conspiracy Theory about Why My Work Is Bugged”

If you’ve too many defects in your work you’ll need to dream up a good reason for your shoddy work. Close your million browser tabs and get your AI excuse-making machine on the case!

“At work, people keep saying their Wi-Fi is going in and out in order to slack off (I guess). Has nobody heard of mobile dongles or is The Secret Developer in a minority of one again?”

“Fix My NullPointer Exception”

A cry for help is to copy-paste your error in a prompt. The classic shout is for help with null pointer exceptions.

“I suppose the upside to this is Stack Overflow will be less full of stupid questions (reference for this is our senior developer, not people asking beginner questions as nobody should have an issue with this).

Maybe 2024 will be the year everyone finally understands null pointers. But I doubt it, even if they ask AI to explain it to them like they are a moron.”

Conclusion

So, there you have it — a year’s worth of AI prompts that range from the ambitious to the absurd. Don’t think about using these in 2024 though, the AI will realize that you are out of date and probably just close all your bank accounts and delete your rental agreement.

“2023. The year when the line between science fiction and reality got so blurred you could barely see it.

Let’s hope you can still see the difference between a good coder and AI in 2024 or I guess I’ll see you in the unemployment line.”