The Duck That Talks Back

The article discusses how rubber duck debugging can be improved by using an AI to explain the code, rather than a silent rubber duck. This reveals gaps in the code's legibility and potential technical debt.

Details

The article argues that the true value of rubber duck debugging comes not from the duck itself, but from the act of explaining the code out loud. This forces the developer to translate their intentions into a clear explanation, revealing any gaps or contradictions in their understanding. The author suggests taking this a step further by asking an AI to explain the code instead of a silent rubber duck. When the AI's explanation diverges from the developer's intent, it highlights areas where the code does not uniquely encode the original meaning. This mismatch is where the real insight lies, as it shows that the code may not communicate what the developer assumes it does. Machines, unlike generous human readers, do not fill in gaps with context and goodwill. Their misunderstandings can therefore expose technical debt in the code that developers have become blind to over time. The article encourages developers to experiment with this approach, as it forces them to confront the possibility that their code may not be as legible as they think.