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Why Ignoring AI Is the Biggest Career Mistake You’re Making Right Now

Introduction: A Personal AI Awakening

I once dismissed AI tools as overhyped distractions. Today, I’m a committed advocate for their power to transform software development. Dismissing AI as “just another bubble” isn’t just short-sighted—it’s a missed opportunity.


From Skeptic to Advocate

  • Frustrating Beginnings: Early experiences with assistants like GitHub Copilot felt more intrusive than helpful—imprecise suggestions, unwanted autocomplete overrides.
  • Turning Point at NikoLabs: As I integrated AI into projects like Axrisi and SchemaCraft, I saw genuine productivity gains. AI stopped being a novelty and became a daily collaborator.
  • A New Perspective: Now, when friends still doubt AI, I struggle to convey the speed, creativity, and joy it brings to my workflow.

Why AI Isn’t Another Hype Bubble

Past Bubble What Happened
GraphQL Powerful but narrowly adopted beyond large orgs.
Web3 & NFTs Generated noise with limited real-world impact.

AI’s Difference:

It pairs massive excitement with tangible benefits—my non-tech-savvy mother uses it daily, and soon, most internet users will interact with an AI at least once every day.


Real-World Impact: Agents at Work

  1. Autonomous Collaboration
    • Agents explore codebases, write files, run linters, execute tests, and even handle Git operations.
  2. Weekend Saved
    • A single prompt produced a 500-line benchmarking script in Python—no manual coding required.
  3. Eradicating Tedium
    • AI never tires. It churns out boilerplate, refactors tests, and scaffolds new modules, leaving me to focus on creative problem-solving.

Tackling Common AI Criticisms

  1. “You don’t know what the code is.” AI output is a first draft—just like a teammate’s PR—and still requires review.
  2. “Code review is doomed.” Skipping review (AI- or human-generated) is already a recipe for disaster.
  3. “Hallucinations happen.” Modern agent workflows catch errors via linting, compiling, and testing, then loop failures back into the model.
  4. “It’s like a junior dev.” Think of AI as a tireless intern who knows your entire codebase—first drafts may need tweaks, but productivity soars.
  5. “AGI or bust?” We don’t need general AI. Task-focused assistants deliver immense value today.
  6. “Job threat!” Automation has always reshaped tech roles. AI simply shifts us toward higher-value, creative work.
  7. “IP(intellectual property) worries.” We remix and refactor code daily. LLMs transform public knowledge into new output; robust validation pipelines solve the rest.

Looking Ahead: From Typing to Designing

  • Asynchronous Collaboration: Agents can generate PRs while you juggle other tasks.
  • Broad Adoption: Languages from TypeScript to Zig are already seeing large swaths autopopulated by AI.
  • Elevated Roles: Developers become architects, problem designers, and validators—focusing on strategy rather than syntax.

Conclusion: Embrace the Shift

AI’s hype may generate noise, and its rough edges can frustrate. But beneath the chatter lies a tectonic shift in software creation. Clinging to outdated arguments risks being left behind—embrace AI, offload the drudgery, and elevate your craft. The industry isn’t waiting, and neither should you.

Top comments (3)

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axrisi profile image
Nikoloz Turazashvili (@axrisi) • Edited
  • Introduction

    • Personal transformation from skeptic to advocate regarding AI tools.
    • AI's power to enhance software development acknowledged.
  • From Skeptic to Advocate

    • Frustrating Beginnings:
      • Early AI assistants felt intrusive with imprecise suggestions.
    • Turning Point at NikoLabs:
      • Integration of AI in projects led to genuine productivity gains.
    • A New Perspective:
      • Difficulty conveying AI's benefits to skeptics.
  • Why AI Isn’t Another Hype Bubble

    • Past bubbles like GraphQL and Web3/NFTs lacked real-world impact.
    • AI’s Difference:
      • AI combines excitement with tangible benefits; widely adopted.
  • Real-World Impact

    • Autonomous Collaboration:
      • Agents handle coding tasks like writing files and executing tests.
    • Weekend Saved:
      • 500-line benchmarking script generated in Python without manual coding.
    • Eradicating Tedium:
      • AI automates repetitive tasks, allowing focus on creative problem-solving.
  • Tackling Common AI Criticisms

    • AI output is a first draft and needs human review.
    • Skipping reviews is a recipe for disaster.
    • Tasks focused AI provides value without requiring general AI.
    • Concerns about job threats are overstated; roles are evolving, not disappearing.
  • Looking Ahead

    • Asynchronous Collaboration:
      • AI can generate PRs while humans focus on other tasks.
    • Broad Adoption:
      • Various programming languages are increasingly auto-populated by AI.
    • Developers will transition to architects focusing on strategy.
  • Conclusion

    • The industry is changing; businesses should not cling to outdated methods but embrace AI for enhanced creativity.

made with love by axrisi
axrisi.com

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dotallio profile image
Dotallio

Totally relate to this - AI feels like supercharging my dev work now. What's the one AI tool that's made you rethink your workflow the most?

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nathan_tarbert profile image
Nathan Tarbert

pretty cool seeing someone go from doubter to full convert like that lol makes me wonder though, stuff like this always grows at first but what actually keeps it from burning out long-term you think