Thoughts on unreliable computing

I found this post in my LinkedIn feed that captures so well one aspect that I'm also feeling about AI:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/robertbowley_is-computer-says-maybe-the-new-computer-activity-7272155588271255552-wfOi

GenAI and quantum computing feel like they’re pulling us out of an era when computers were reliable. You put in inputs and get consistent, predictable outputs. Now? Not so much.

Both technologies challenge our trust in what a computer can do, forcing us to consider how we use them and what we expect from them.

So, is "computer says maybe" the future we’re heading towards? What do you think?

One minor correction: instead of "computer says maybe" I'd write "the computer convincingly says something wrong".

In my experience, something that works 99% of the time is unreliable. My previous phone did not wake me up once and I still sleep badly if I have something important in the morning.

And especially when these 99% things are combined, you'll see failure daily. Even with reliable computing: a lot of more interesting bugs I see are the result of some obscure edge case or unfortunate timing.

I think for things that are important we need reliable systems.