True, but the LLM is always polite and in problem solving mode, while SO is in a curating mode. This makes it a great knowledge base and LLM training set, but not a great source to have your questions answered.
I think a big part of why people prefer to ask an online forum instead of using the search function is the human interaction aspect, but that requires two people, including a mentor who is patient and helpful - and unfortunately, that's difficult to find. An LLM is patient, helpful, and problem-solving, but also responds pretty much immediately.
Sure, but so will SO. On most questions it seems that at least a third of the answers are just wrong in one way or another. At least with an LLM you can just tell it's wrong and have a new, hopefully better, answers 30 seconds later, all without hurting its feelings or getting into a massive online flame war.
I think a big part of why people prefer to ask an online forum instead of using the search function is the human interaction aspect, but that requires two people, including a mentor who is patient and helpful - and unfortunately, that's difficult to find. An LLM is patient, helpful, and problem-solving, but also responds pretty much immediately.