It's no secret that AI has changed everything, and this transformation just started. The development world has not been an exception; In fact, it's been one of the most affected.
As an IT guy, I'm used to change and constantly adapting. New technologies, techniques, and mindsets. The speed forces you to keep learning. It is like a requirement to live in this world.
So when the generative Artificial Intelligence wave arrived in our lives, I had a positive attitude and I thought: "Ok, this seems like a big change, I need to know more about it". You know the rest: The world embraces AI for almost everything, and today we use AI as a support (at least) in a lot of tasks. It has not only been a new technology, but a new way of doing things, a new way of working — and perhaps, in the development world, the start of a new era.
My New Routine
The first thing I do when I turn on my computer is open an IDE integrated with AI, and fire up ChatGPT or Claude in my browser. I start my day by prompting. Those days when we used Google to find answers feel far away now. Before ChatGPT, my Navigator history was almost filled with Stack Overflow entries; today, just once or twice a week.
I don’t have any solid metric to prove it, but I’m pretty sure I write more prompts than lines of code these days. Before generative AI, I used to write a lot more code and make smaller commits. Now, even though I write less code, my commits are bigger. Yes, AI has definitely made us more productive—nobody can deny that. Even when you need to spend extra time reviewing the generated code, debugging, and testing, the overall outcome is still a net gain in productivity.
So far, I haven’t told you anything new—and I don’t know if I will. But I started writing this post because I wanted to share how I feel about all these changes, about this new way of doing things. I’m going to tell you about the issues I’ve faced and the approaches I’m trying—or thinking about trying.
My Journey with Vibe Coding
Among all the buzz around AI, one thing I really wanted to explore was vibe coding. It’s something that could help me at work—and honestly, it's a must if you want to adapt as a programmer today.
It might not seem like a big deal, but I had to give it a shot, understand the best practices, and take action. So I challenged myself to use vibe coding for a few days on personal projects, quick prototypes, or internal tools. And I have to say—it’s fun. There’s something really satisfying about letting the computer handle the heavy lifting while you take the role of a reviewer, accepting or rejecting the code.
The Downside: Feeling Drained
But after a few days of vibe coding, I realized I was ending my days drained—low energy, a bit unmotivated. And that feeling? It was familiar. I had felt it before—after spending hours mindlessly scrolling through social media.
So I asked myself: Is vibe coding like doomscrolling?
Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic. Of course, like social media, it depends on how you use it.
Still, there's something there—something worth watching. Maybe we could call it doom vibe coding: the act of accepting changes automatically, without actively engaging in the process, without effort, and losing control over the solution.
Like doomscrolling, doom vibe coding gives you easy dopamine. It feels great in the moment, but at the end of the day, you’re left drained—with the feeling that you didn’t really do anything.
What about my skills? And my motivation?
That drained feeling—and some news and studies I came across—sparked a few questions.
What happens to my programming skills if I stop using them regularly? What if I stop thinking deeply through problems—imagining different scenarios, weighing consequences, and making decisions myself?
Just the other day, I read that MIT warned about how using ChatGPT can affect our brains, particularly regarding writing skills. It made me wonder: could the same thing be happening with programming?
After all, if you don’t use something, you’re likely to lose it.
And I’m afraid of that—I don’t want to lose my skills.
But it’s just so easy to ask AI.
Honestly, what’s scared me the most is how AI has made me feel less motivated to learn something new. When I think about diving into a new framework or programming language, I catch myself thinking:
“What’s the point? AI could probably do it better than I.”
And just like that, I abandon the plan.
Maybe it’s similar to when Google became popular. At some point, remembering facts stopped being essential—because we could just search for anything, anytime.
But this feels bigger. Now we’re not just outsourcing memory—we’re offloading entire thought processes. Cognitive skills. Creativity. Judgment.
And that’s what really scares me.
I don’t want to lose my learning skills. I don’t want to lose my motivation.
And above all, I don’t want to lose that beautiful feeling that comes with learning something new.
Do we have a choice?
About using AI, of course not.
When it comes to using AI, we don’t really have an option. The truth is clear—Artificial Intelligence makes us way more productive.
Not using these tools leaves you behind. So that’s not the answer.
The real question isn’t whether to use AI.
The real question is: How do we use it?
And I’m not just talking about programming. This goes beyond code.
We need to stay involved—take action in the key parts of the process. Not just for better results, but for how it makes us feel. For our sense of purpose, creativity, and growth. AI should be your assistant. Otherwise, you become its assistant
Because in the end, it’s not about using AI or not. It’s about how we use it.
So, I came up with a strategy to deal with all this.
My Strategy
First, I try to use AI critically, as my assistant, my partner—not just for work, but also in other parts of my life.
In addition, I created an old-school mode—moments where I don't use AI at all. That could be study time, coding challenges, writing, or anything where I want to stay sharp.
This blog, for example, is part of that strategy.
I started writing because I want to keep (and improve) my writing skills.
I’m also thinking about adding regular programming exercises to my routine—at least a few days a week—where I solve things without AI, or only use it as a last resort.
And to push myself even more, I enrolled in a course that challenges me to really learn again.
Spoiler: it’s working.
Of course, at work, I still use AI for almost everything. I want to be as productive as possible—and as I said before, it's an incredible tool.
I just try to use it critically.
But to be honest? Sometimes I’m tired, I hit "Accept changes," and then open Instagram to scroll for a while.
And that’s okay. It’s good to relax sometimes and enjoy new technologies.
But for the sake of our mental health and our skills, it’s important to remember that beautiful feeling of solving something with real effort.
Let’s not lose that.
Let’s bring back the pleasure of doing things with effort.
Top comments (0)