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Urvisha Maniar
Urvisha Maniar

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The AI Tools Nobody Builds (But Every Developer Secretly Needs)

Everyday I see a shiny new AI tool for coding:

  • AI that writes code
  • AI that explains code
  • AI that reviews code
  • AI that documents code
  • AI that fixes bugs you didn’t even know you had

Amazing. Useful. Love that for everyone.

But being around developers all the time, I’ve realized something:

The most exhausting parts of a developer’s job have nothing to do with writing code.
And THAT’S where the AI gap is.

We’re drowning in tools that help you code…
but almost none that help with the stuff that actually drains your energy.

Here are the AI tools devs actually need:

🔥 1. AI that explains a PR like a normal human

Not “diff stats.”
Not “file changes.”

But:

  • What changed
  • Why it changed
  • What broke
  • What’s risky
  • Who touched this last
  • Why the code looks haunted

Basically a PR therapist.


🔥 2. AI that reads Slack and gives you the real summary

Because let’s be honest:

  • 70% of Slack is noise
  • 20% is memes
  • 9% is confusion
  • 1% is the thing you actually needed to know

Where is the AI that says:

“Here’s the ONLY thing that mattered from yesterday. You’re welcome.”


🔥 3. AI that remembers WHY someone wrote cursed code

Dev: “Who wrote this?”
Team: “Not me.”
Git blame: “That person left in 2021.”

  • We need an AI that reconstructs the crime scene:
  • the context
  • the deadline panic
  • the hacky patch
  • the temporary solution that became permanent
  • the Jira ticket titled “quick fix don’t judge”
  • This would save lives.

🔥 4. AI that tells you which meetings are safe to ignore

Let’s be real:

  • Some meetings matter.
  • Some meetings shouldn’t exist.
  • Some meetings actively reduce lifespan.

I want AI that whispers:

“Skip this one. It’s just three people arguing about naming conventions.”


🔥 5. AI for the glue work devs secretly hate

The real energy traps:

  • clarifying requirements
  • translating vague messages
  • remembering decisions
  • tracking discussions
  • chasing answers
  • updating docs

keeping everyone aligned

context-switching 47 times a day

This is the work no AI tool touches…
but it’s the work devs complain about the most.

AI for glue work will be bigger than AI for code.
Mark my words.


💬 Your turn

I want to know from actual devs:

What’s ONE AI tool you wish existed — not for coding, but for your sanity?

The funnier and more petty your answer, the better.
I’m ready 😂👇

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