TL;DR:
Coding is fun, I like to figure some things out myself and it keeps my brain alive. Relying on AI to do the heavy-lifting takes the fun away.
Overall opinions
AI allows me to be more productive, but it’s bad for the environment and the brain. I like to code, and I am often not in a rush to get it working.
Background
I have been programming since 2017, starting out with Python, making projects related OpenCV or Discord bots.
I then touched on web development, eventually getting better at frontend development.
When I had started using AI
In 2021, I tried out Github Copilot that came along with the Github Student Developer Pack. I have used it as part of my workflow.
Eventually, I had frustrations with Github Copilot features being removed in favour of agentic development, then stopped using Visual Studio Code altogether and started using Cursor, with 1-year free of Cursor Pro deal.
I use Cursor during my internship (it was encouraged), and it helped save me a lot of time navigating through an unfamiliar codebase. However, this is when AI usage had changed my perspective.
I also subscribe to T3 chat for $8 a month, trying to stick to cheaper models and only occasionally select Claude models for coding.
When I dislike AI
My negative opinions on AI is influenced by personal usage and other people’s behaviour around the topic.
During my internship, Composer-2 in Cursor had spit out working code, but was very verbose. When prompted to not be verbose, it added more code than previously.
People who pressure other people to use AI also get on my nerves. I watch a female streamer learning programming, and it’s frustrating to see how chatters would pressure her to just use AI.
Coding is fun, and I feel proud of myself for building certain things myself without relying too much on AI, being able to solve problems myself through documentation references.
Vibe-coded software
I have vibe coded my own software, but there’s a staggering difference between people who are experienced in programming using AI and those who are NOT knowledgeable in programmming use AI.
If you give AI a blank canvas, it will shit all over it.
I often dislike vibe coded frontend software, with the purple colour, unnecessary effects, weird gradients and flashy effects that are not accessible.
Trying to use less AI
I am using Zed with AI mode disabled, but only occasionally use Cursor to speed up certain things. When using Cursor AI, I try to be able to understand the code that it produces and able to make small tweaks without prompting.
AI is bad for the environment
The statement that AI uses a lot of water holds a good amount of truth, with videos showing brown coloured water from people living near AI data centres.
Trees are getting cut down to build AI data centres, so the development of AI is a net negative to the environment.