So, Andy Yen and the CTO from Proton, have decided to push AI
This had been mentioned in the Bitwarden thread, but I think it is of interest and deserving of it’s own thread.
The particular section on the 404Media article (partial paywall) that stood out to me, was the section where the management claimed it is “looser thinking”, to test patches thoroughly before committing. Now, it does not say how thoroughly the patches/code had already been tested, or how much further the engineer wanted to test. The word “pen test” sounds more involved than normal testing to me, but also, if the engineer suggests it, I suspect it should be considered, even if not persued.
Later in the article, it mentions about employees being “re-interviewed” with the apparent goal to ensure they will use AI in the future. I know AI definitely helps people work, in the same way googling issues helps them. But forcing workers to push slop in when it may not be needed, seems harmful, to me.
I for one, will be keeping an eye on it, with a view to removing my subscriptions, as I do not trust pushing AI slop. If an engineer uses it, then fine. Make it available, and if it has merit, it will be used.
He later responded on reddit:
A lot of you probably don’t want to hear from me right now. But I spoke to the Proton team earlier today, and you also deserve to know what was said, because I’ve let you down, too.
First of all, I take responsibility for the failure of communications that has led to such uncertainty, confusion, and hurt within the staff. We’ll be bringing in an internal communications lead to help keep this from happening again.
More personally, I shouldn’t have said some of the things I did to the people who helped build this company. They were hurtful, I’m sorry, and I am determined to do better.
I want to address some points that have raised concerns.
First, the “re-interviews” that have been publicly discussed will not take place, and no one will lose their jobs because of them.
Second, Proton does not install tracking software on employees’ laptops to measure how much AI-generated code they produce. This is false and stems from someone’s misunderstanding about how MDM software works.
But most importantly, I need to categorically state that our use of AI will never be at the expense of security. In the past year, contrary to what has been alleged, actually additional layers of security review have been added to meet the threat posed by hostile AIs scanning Proton’s open source code for vulnerabilities. Fast and secure need not be mutually exclusive. We also leverage AI to find vulnerabilities in our own code before attackers do. Our code is open source, and its security remains open for all to verify.
I recognize that the burden of proof about this is on us, and therefore, I’m recommitting to Proton’s deeply held belief in transparency. We will lift the hood on how we use AI internally at Proton. This includes publicly releasing and open sourcing several of the internal tools that we use, including more advanced versions of Lumo with greater capabilities, which have never been made available outside of the company.
We will also publish how code reviews and security reviews at Proton are done, and detail our AI policies, including where AI is permitted, and where it is not, and our rationale. Instead of just being able to see the final open source code that we produce to verify security, third parties will also be able to assess how that code is produced.
Even if we might wish it wasn’t, AI is here, and it will unquestionably change how software is developed forever, and Proton must also change. But we’re committed to proving to you that we’re doing it in a responsible and safe way.
The past few days have been humbling, to say the least. When you see your words reflected back at you, all at once, you can’t help but see yourself in a different light. I’ve made mistakes, but I will learn from them.
The coming days, weeks, months, and years will be difficult, not just for us, but for all the people who will be impacted by the changes brought on by AI and automation. Proton will not go the distance with an army of agents, but with an army of smart, thoughtful people, who care deeply about our mission, our users, and this community.
So, my view, is I will probably still remove my subscriptions, as I am not sure I trust what he says.
What are your thoughts?
