1.5 Years of AI-Assisted Programming: Reflections and Lessons Learned

This post shares the author's 1.5-year experience using AI for programming. AI excels at repetitive coding tasks, refactoring, and simple projects, but struggles with complex problems and new development, often introducing errors and inefficient abstractions. CLI interfaces prove more effective than IDEs due to increased developer control. AI aids in design and writing, but 'vibe coding' (relying solely on AI-generated code) is discouraged, leading to significant technical debt and security vulnerabilities. The author concludes that the primary beneficiaries of AI aren't developers, but managers and clients, facilitating improved communication and collaboration. The future of AI in programming is bright, but companies shouldn't use it as an excuse for layoffs.