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World's Fair 2025

The New Code — Sean Grove, OpenAI

Sean Grove

Overview

This talk argues that structured communication, embodied in specifications, is more valuable than code itself for AI development. Specifications serve as the primary artifact for aligning human intent and values, enabling clearer communication, better testing, and more robust AI systems. As AI models advance, the ability to write effective specifications will become the most critical skill for programmers.

Who should watch

Key takeaways

Notable quotes

*Code is sort of 10 to 20% of the value that you bring. The other 80 to 90% is in structured communication.*
*The person who communicates most effectively is the most valuable programmer.*
*A written specification effectively aligns humans and it is the artifact that you use to communicate and to discuss and debate and refer to and synchronize on.*

Watch on YouTube →

Unofficial community note. Prefer the recording for nuance.