Using ChatGPT to write code, tests and essays – game over for engineers or just the next power tool? In this episode of SEEK Bytes, engineers Nick Skoufis, Bridget Barnes, Elliott Millar and Reyna Tan dive into what ChatGPT really is, where it shines, where it fails hard, and how it might change the day‑to‑day reality of software work.

From asking it to refactor test suites, generate React and Webpack configs, or even build a text‑adventure Zork clone, through to security, cheating in coding tests, and mass tech layoffs, they unpack the hype, the risks and the genuinely useful ways to bring large language models into your toolbox – without handing them the steering wheel.

In this episode, we explore:

• How ChatGPT actually works under the hood (tokens, probabilities, “confidently wrong” answers) – and why you still need humans in the loop

• Real‑world uses for developers: refactors, boilerplate, documentation, internal Q&A and dreaming about private, company‑only instances over your own codebase

• What AI means for jobs, interviews and academia – from automation and coding tests to who actually gets replaced (and why that probably isn’t great engineers)

If you’re a software engineer, student or tech lead trying to figure out how to use ChatGPT without letting it use you, this episode is for you.

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They talk about the upsides (no commute, more time with pets and kids, flexible schedules) and the trade‑offs: missing out on incidental learning, cross‑team connections and those random hallway chats that turn into career‑shaping insights – and how they’ve learned to deliberately recreate that online.

In this episode, we explore:

• How SEEK engineers were already experimenting with WFH before the pandemic – and what changed when offices suddenly shut

• Practical ways to keep incidental learning, mentoring and cross‑team serendipity alive in a remote‑first world

• Why communication, internal tools and informal time are the glue for effective remote teams – and how SEEK structures in‑office days and “forced fun” so they actually work

If you’re a software engineer, early‑career dev or tech lead trying to figure out what great remote/hybrid work really looks like, this episode is for you.

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