The Bitter Lesson: How We Build and What We Build is about to change

About this video

In this video, we explore Rich Sutton's 'Bitter Lesson' and its implications for the future of software development, particularly as we approach 2026. We discuss the key principles from Sutton's philosophy, such as leveraging general methods and computation, and observe how these ideas have influenced AI milestones from Deep Blue to AlphaGo. The video reviews the progression of coding tools like GitHub Copilot and explores how agentic systems are poised to revolutionize both 'how' and 'what' we build in software development. The discussion emphasizes a shift towards agents that operate with higher autonomy and adaptability, laying out a vision for a future where AI agents might independently code, create tools, and even build infrastructure. Join us as we dive into these transformative changes and what they mean for developers in the near future. The Bitter Lesson: http://www.incompleteideas.net/IncIdeas/BitterLesson.html 00:00 Introduction to the Bitter Lesson 00:47 Understanding the Bitter Lesson 00:57 Historical Examples of AI Progress 01:52 The Power of General Methods 05:06 Evolution of Coding Tools 06:18 Future of Software Development 07:57 How We Build vs. What We Build 09:37 Agent-Driven Development 10:37 Conclusion and Final Thoughts