Two months ago I wrote a post where I was confused: where is the line between programming and using AI for it? What was I supposed to do on my own, and what could I delegate to AI? I felt like if I didn't start using AI right now, I'd miss the train.
During this month I've been doing a lot of stuff with AI — and I'm really enjoying it. I figured out a few patterns: which ways of using AI bore me, which ways I shouldn't use it, and how I can actually use AI to learn.
Takeaway 1: I don't like when AI does everything for me
I don't like the feeling of not understanding what's going on.
There were times when I was tired of a project or just annoyed, and I'd say:
"I don't care how you do it, just do it."
AI can do the work pretty well (in my case it was basics, so there usually weren't many problems). All I had to do was check the result, click buttons, and so on. If I spotted a bug — I'd tell it to fix that too.
But looking back, I don't like that process. It can give you a lot of code you don't understand. Some people are okay with that. Not me. I still want to understand as much as I can.
Takeaway 2: AI is not a programmer — it's a guide, teacher, and product manager
Before, when I wanted to build something and didn't know how to start, I'd just get stuck. Where do I begin? What should the folder structure look like? I'd spend time googling, jumping between tutorials.
Now I just ask. I ask it to help me create a plan, tell me what problems might come up, suggest a stack, suggest a folder structure, or explain how this kind of thing is built in the real world.
For example: I wanted to build a website for my project in Python. Before, I could only think about JS/HTML/CSS. AI introduced me to Streamlit — a small library with limited control, but it was the right fit for that project.
And when I don't know how something works, I ask:
"Explain X as if I'm a complete beginner."
It explains in a Socratic way, so I'm actually learning — not just copy-pasting. I also use this when picking up something new, or I ask it to create a quiz for me.
So that's just about one month of actively using AI — and I think I'm only using 10–20% of its full potential. But I already have a feel for how to use it. I don't feel as lost and frustrated as I did last time.
If things still feel foggy and unclear — there's only one way to figure it out: try it.
Try it, play with it, build with it. After enough hours of experimenting you'll figure out by yourself: which style works best for you, how you like to learn with it, what you want to use it for. But also — don't forget to think critically. Don't take everything AI says as truth. If something feels off or unclear, check it yourself.
What are your takeaways? How long have you been using AI?
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