AI is Making Developers Lazy, and We’re Letting It Happen
AI tools like GitHub Copilot are everywhere now, and yeah, they’re impressive. I can’t deny that. They’ve changed the way I work, the way I code, and even the way I think about coding. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: they’ve also made me question whether I’m getting too comfortable. Too reliant. Too… lazy. And I’m not saying that lightly. I’ve caught myself skipping the hard questions, letting the tool do the thinking, and just clicking “accept.” It works, right? But does it really?
Here’s the thing about coding: it’s never been just about getting something to run. Anyone can do that. It’s about figuring out why it works, why it’s the best solution, why it fits into the bigger picture. AI doesn’t care about any of that. It’s fast, it’s functional, but it’s not thoughtful. And if I let it, I stop being thoughtful too. That’s what scares me. Because when you stop asking “why,” you’re not really coding anymore — you’re just… typing.
I’ve seen it happen. AI spits out some code, and it’s easy to just go with it. It looks fine, it works, and you’ve got deadlines to meet, so why not? But then you dig deeper, and you realize it missed something important. Maybe it doesn’t handle edge cases. Maybe it’s impossible to read. Maybe it scales terribly. It’s what we call “vibe coding” — just trusting the AI’s output because it feels right in the moment. But that’s not how great code gets written. That’s how shortcuts turn into long-term problems.
And yet, I don’t believe for a second that AI is replacing developers. It can’t. Writing great code is about solving problems, making decisions, understanding trade-offs. It’s about creativity and intuition and knowing when to break the rules. AI doesn’t do that. It doesn’t understand nuance or context or people. But here’s the thing: if we rely on it too much, we might lose our ability to do those things too. And then what? What happens when we stop being the problem-solvers and start being the people who just approve whatever the machine spits out?
It’s not just about coding, either. As a leader, I’ve seen how this shift is changing what people expect from us. Clients don’t just want code anymore — they want expertise. They want insight. They want someone who can help them figure out what they actually need, not just someone who can build it. And honestly? AI can’t do that. It can’t replace the human side of what we do. But it does mean we need to step up. My role as a leader has shifted. I’m spending less time worrying about production and more time helping my team focus on what really matters — creativity, problem-solving, and strategy. But it’s tough. How do you keep a team sharp when AI is doing so much of the heavy lifting? How do you make sure they don’t fall into the same trap I’ve caught myself in — getting comfortable, getting lazy?
For me, the answer is staying curious. AI can give you an answer, sure, but it’s up to you to ask, “Is this the right answer?” And we need to keep building the skills that AI can’t replicate — creativity, critical thinking, collaboration. Those are the things that make us human, and they’re the things that make us valuable. AI is just a tool. A powerful one, yeah, but it’s not the whole picture.
Still, I can’t help but wonder: are we slowly trading mastery for convenience? Are we letting the craft of coding — the joy of building something from scratch — fade away without even realizing it? I don’t know. But it’s something I think about a lot. Because if we’re not careful, the future of coding might look a lot less human. And honestly? That’s not a future I want to be part of.
