Is this because LLMs are getting better, or because search engines are getting worse?

Because they are definitely getting worse. I get redirected to a brand new slopsite daily.

A good blogpost on this: The Enclosure feedback loop

When everybody uses AI to search, it becomes a closed system that holds all info. Doesn't need to be productive, but it gatekeeps the knowledge that was free on the internet. It's a self-reinforcing loop.

I work in infrastructure and what's concerning is that younger guys are skipping learning to script to automate processes and instead just getting slop from LLMs that they have no idea what it's doing.

Some have also relegated learning problem solving to it as well so when things go wrong, they're clueless without it.

Google started making their search engine worse and always pushing things that they thought would make them money. It's not surprising people are trying something else.

Great way to make yourself immediately untrustworthy

I think you're being too literal, they mean they hate having to use it or they hate being constantly exposed to its shitty output. Obviously pretty much nobody hates, like, Markov chains.

I also hate the term AI.
And I'm not sure about the actual code either.

I reserve the hate (well, severe disdain and contempt, hate is personal in my book, haven't needed it for quite a while) for the C-Suites and owners, users get contempt if they're using it to think for them and a pass with some sympathy if they've found a way to use it as a tool while retaining executive function. LLMs and broader machine learning are fine, just a tool. You can use a wrench constructively or give someone a concussion, that's on you.

SamA is the exception, hate that market cornering fucker (and yes it's personal, I was going to go AM5 this year).

I hate AI. I don't hate LLMs, SLMs, generative models, etc... but the marketing campaign buzzword that's currently making hardware unattainable by average consumers and accelerating tracking, canvassing and profiling?

Absolutely hate it - with a vehement passion.

Man, I loved playing around with GPT2, I was hyped about GPT3, I paid for AI dunegon and NovelAI, I was so stoked about all of this. When ChatGPT came out, I was like "y'all are just learning about it ?" but I was so happy that this tech I loved was getting recognition.

I'm definitely in the "AI hate" camp now, this really is the worst timeline

Tears in their eyes