u/Cydrius

Hey all, I've taken in some feedback and updated this homebrew subclass. I'd like to get some further feedback to refine my design.

https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/4TsST_sG0N1h

Notes and context before I begin:

• I'm a software engineer with over a decade of professional experience. I have experienced programming with, and without AI.
• This is not about the environmental ethics of AI data centers. I am on board with these being an issue.
• This is also not about the economical impact of AI on jobs. I am on board with the idea that AI enables the worst of capitalism.
• Software development, like medical analysis, is a domain where I believe AI can be used as an effective tool for assisting workers. Companies pushing the use of AI for coding at the expense of training junior programmers for future development, on the other hand are absolutely being unethical.
• I think AI art and music are soulless trash. If you want to challenge my viewpoint by saying that AI art and music are valid... don't.

Hello all, I've seen this point come up in a few places, especially around game design forums, and I'd like to put my perception of the issue to the test.

I occasionally see people decry AI-assisted coding and/or vibe-coding as comparable to AI art or AI music, and I can't help but disagree.

As I see it, music or art is the end product. It is what is consumed by the audience. When AI generates art or music, even based on a user prompt, the AI is replacing the artist and the human creativity entirely.

Meanwhile, code is a tool. Code is what makes the program happen, as opposed to being the program itself. Having an AI write the code for an algorithm you are defining is akin to having an AI mix your paints for you, and then using those paints to paint a picture.

AI in programming does have its own issues. It carries a higher risk of errors, lower quality code, and a loss of maintainability. It is definitely not a sustainable practice, but these are not the same kinds of issues.

Let's take a game, for example:

• If the graphics were done by an AI, you're looking at an AI's sprites; they most likely have the extremely generic visual composition common to AI work.
• If the music was done by an AI, same thing. You're hearing the generic bits-and-pieces composition of a machine.
• If the coding was done by an AI... you're still looking at a human's game development vision.

If we get AIs who can design entire games without a human's involvement, that would be another thing, but that's not what is being brought up in these cases.

I don't understand the viewpoint that AI code is analogous to AI art. I would like to hear from those who hold that viewpoint if there are reasons I should oppose it from a creative, artistic, and "human" viewpoint.

(Because AI subjects tend to be very loaded, I want to be clear again: This is not about the environmental or economical aspects of the AI issue. Those are very important domains, but they are not the focus of this conversation. This is not CMV: AI is good.)

I haven't done homebrew in a while, and I was hoping to get some feedback on this.

I'm particularly uncertain of Penitent Smite. I'm not sure if a pure healing ability would be interesting at that level, and the amount of healing that would be reasonable to give is beyond me.