The discussions around 'STEPS Toward the Reinvention of Programming' highlight varying perspectives on the effectiveness of researched approaches towards reinventing programming. Critics argue that historical progress in technology has been organic and driven by immediate needs and innovations rather than structured research projects. There is skepticism towards how research-driven initiatives inadvertently result in graphical user interfaces that do not fundamentally change programming paradigms. Suggestions have been made for more spontaneous innovation arising from new technological capabilities, like advancements in AI, that directly impact coding practices.