When I think "code generation" I think about a module that (say) inspects a schema or other artifact and then generates code in some language like Java. Something that happens fresh every time you run your build process. In most cases it is an A-Tier software engineering practice, up there with macros in Lisp. Contrast that to the S-Tier technique of developing real compilers.

What gets me about AI complaining is how behind the time it is. Like people driving in the rearview mirror.

10 years ago I was saying "Oh shit, Chinese webcrawlers cost me $200 a month and don't give me any benefit" and was very aware of the discourse that the Google economy was unfair and exploitative. Now people get triggered by some A.I. slop they see on YouTube and they want to slam the barn door when the horses are long gone.

I had horribly wrong ideas about neural networks and AI 10 years ago because I was working on that stuff 10 years ago.