A software engineer argues that the divide between AI enthusiasts and skeptics stems from a fundamental lack of context in how people describe their experiences with large language models. Writing on his blog “A Place Where Even Mammoths Fly,” Dmitrii “Mamut” Dimandt contends that the AI industry has become dominated by “magical, wishful thinking” similar to the cryptocurrency hype cycle, where questioning AI capabilities leads to accusations of being a “clueless moron.”
The core problem: Discussions about AI effectiveness lack crucial contextual information that would allow meaningful comparisons between different users’ experiences.
Why this matters: The lack of context makes it impossible to compare a senior engineer’s experience with a greenfield React project to a non-coding designer working with proprietary OCaml code, yet both experiences are often treated as equivalent evidence.
What industry leaders are saying: The author criticizes vague testimonials that receive massive engagement despite providing no useful details.
The author’s perspective: Despite being a critic, Dimandt actively uses AI tools across multiple projects, including building apps with Vercel’s v0, creating a SwiftUI monitoring app with Claude Code, and generating event posters with Midjourney.
The bigger picture: The author draws parallels between current AI hype and the cryptocurrency boom, suggesting that critical thinking about AI capabilities is being suppressed by industry enthusiasm and social pressure to embrace the technology unconditionally.