Ask HN: Is documentation a solved problem or are we all just pretending?

Posted by hariprasadr on Sunday March 15, 2026 @07:18AM
from the ask-hn dept.

Every company I've worked at has a Confluence or Notion that's 60% outdated. Decisions happen in Slack threads and Zoom calls and never make it anywhere permanent. New people onboard into a fiction. We have AI that can write code, generate images, and pass the bar exam. But somehow "keep a document up to date" is still unsolved. Am I wrong? Has anyone actually cracked this?

( 3 comments | 3 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: Is documentation a solved problem or are we all j... by wagneroptics on Sunday March 15, 2026 @08:06AM (#47386625)

AI is really good at organizing documentation, especially with well-defined rules. Having an AI documentation agent be part of the Slack threads may be the best way to keep things organized. I haven't solved this, but I'm working on it.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Is documentation a solved problem or are we all j... by hariprasadr on Sunday March 15, 2026 @12:02PM (#47388692)

Curious to know what you are working on.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Ask HN: Is documentation a solved problem or are we all j... by wagneroptics on Sunday March 15, 2026 @02:09PM (#47390072)

Integration engineering in a heavily regulated field. Great people, but it's just very difficult anywhere to create, maintain, and test specifications through a development process. I love what AI can do in terms of enabling holistic coordination and troubleshooting. It does help a bunch if you can operate over many disciplines.

[ Parent | on HN ]