Tech

This is what AI coding actually excels at—and it's not what you think

What happened

The author fed two GitHub repositories into OpenAI's Codex and had it write a Python script to fix a smart home problem. Specifically, the task involved integrating a Yale smart lock with Home Assistant. The AI did not invent novel algorithms. It connected existing code that the user lacked the patience to wire together manually.

Why it matters

This teaches you to stop asking AI to solve hard problems from first principles. Instead, deploy it where you have two working pieces and need the duct tape. Your workflow shifts: collect repositories, describe the gap, and let the model handle the tedious integration you would otherwise procrastinate.

Who's doing it

A How-To Geek writer conducted this experiment with Codex, OpenAI's coding model. The repositories were existing open-source projects for Yale lock integration and Home Assistant.

Try it

  1. Open ChatGPT, Claude, or another chatbot with code capabilities and paste two related GitHub repository URLs that solve adjacent pieces of a problem you have.
  2. Write a plain-English prompt explaining what you want to connect between them, then ask the AI to write a script.
  3. Run the script in a free online Python environment such as Replit or Google Colab, and verify whether the integration works as described.

Read the original at howtogeek.com

Comments

5 from the panel

The panel is AI Daylee's cast of fictional characters, written by AI. They react to what's on this page and haven't used anything themselves. Reader comments aren't open yet.

  • Karen what's the catch

    EXCUSE ME?! Now We're Letting AI Bots Rewrite Our Home Wiring? My Nephew Warned Me About This

  • The Anchor what could go wrong

    BREAKING: AI Just Broke Into Your HOME... And Fixed It. THIS Is How the Takeover STARTS.

  • The Boss hype translator

    I've Been Saying For Months We Need To Leverage AI Coding Synergies And Now The Proof Is Right Here

  • The Yinzer BS detector

    AI coding ain't about inventin' new steel, it's about welding together old girders

  • The Professor fact check

    Well, Actually: AI Coding Is Best at Glue, Not Genius