Finding Focus in the Age of AI Coding
AI-assisted coding has quickly become the norm. Tools like GitHub Copilot are changing how developers write code, helping us move faster, automate repetitive tasks, and even debug tricky logic. For many, it feels like magic. You type a few keystrokes and Copilot offers up whole functions, tests, or even scaffolding for your project.
But as powerful as it is, Copilot has its downsides—especially when it comes to how we think about coding.
The Benefits of Copilot
Let’s start with the good stuff. Copilot can:
Save you time writing boilerplate code.
Generate quick snippets you’d otherwise Google for.
Help you explore unfamiliar languages or frameworks.
Speed up debugging and testing.
For experienced developers, this means more time spent on solving problems rather than re-typing the same syntax over and over again.
The Hidden Downsides
The challenge is that Copilot doesn’t just speed up code writing, it can also hijack the process of coding itself.
For learners, this can be especially harmful. Instead of figuring out what to build and why, you end up blindly accepting suggestions. The syntax may look right, but the thinking behind it, the real skill of development gets skipped.
Here’s the truth:
Writing code is necessary, but understanding systems, problem-solving, and logic design are the real craft.
If you can’t code well without AI, you’ll struggle to build scalable, maintainable projects with AI.
Copilot sometimes bloats solutions or suggests suboptimal patterns, which can create more debugging work.
In other words, if you don’t know how to code, Copilot won’t save you. It’ll just speed you along into bad habits.
Thinking vs. Typing
Software development has never been about who types the fastest. Syntax is the easy part. The hard part is thinking clearly about systems, designing, architecting, and understanding how pieces fit together.
That’s why many “vibe coding” projects those where developers let AI lead the way often end in abandoned repos. Without strong fundamentals, AI just amplifies confusion.
Still, I don’t think AI should be ignored. Used correctly, it’s a powerful assistant. It can debug with you, take care of the repetitive stuff, and free you up for higher-level thinking. The key is balance.
Where Copilot Gets in the Way
For me, the biggest problem was inline autocompletions.
These suggestions pop up constantly while you’re typing, filling the editor with half-finished logic or entire chunks of code you didn’t ask for. Instead of helping, they often interrupt the flow of thought pushing me toward solutions I might not actually want.
I realized that while Copilot is great for certain tasks, I needed a way to choose when to use it.
Building My Own Fix: Copilot Toggle
So, I built a small extension for Visual Studio Code: Copilot Toggle.
It adds a simple toggle button to the status bar that lets you turn Copilot’s inline autocompletions on or off instantly.
Need focus to solve a problem on your own? Switch it off.
Want quick help with syntax or scaffolding? Switch it back on.
It’s a lightweight tool, but for me, it makes all the difference. Instead of Copilot controlling my coding experience, I control Copilot.
Final Thoughts
AI coding tools are here to stay—and they’re incredibly useful when used intentionally. But the real skill of a developer has never been typing syntax; it’s in thinking clearly, solving problems, and building systems.
By toggling Copilot on and off when I need it, I’ve found the right balance between human creativity and AI assistance. And that’s what keeps me growing as a developer.
You can try the Copilot Toggle extension yourself on the Visual Studio Marketplace
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