AI killed my coding brain but I’m rebuilding it

We sprinted into the AI age of autocomplete IDEs now we’re waking up wondering why we forgot how to write a for-loop. Introduction: how I forgot how to code You ever stare at your screen and suddenly forget how a for-loop works? Same. Specifically, Lua’s for-loop. I was on a new machine, hadn’t signed into Copilot, and just sat there like a deer in a syntax-shaped headlight. “for k, j in… wait… is it pairs? ipairs? What is Lua?” That’s when it hit me: AI tools like Copilot, Cursor, and CodeWhisperer have slowly numbed our fingers. We’re coding faster than ever before but we’re also thinking less. Repeating prompts like rituals. Accepting autocomplete like gospel. Forgetting why the code works and just being glad it does. And I’m not the only one. Scroll dev Twitter or Reddit and you’ll see post after post: “Ever since I started using AI, I feel like I’ve lost my ability to code without it.” It’s not just dramatic. It’s happening. We’re creating a generation of devs who ship fast, but can’t explain why the code runs. This isn’t about bashing AI. I use it too daily. But let’s talk honestly about what we’re trading: speed for mastery, autocomplete for understanding, shipping for skill. The good news? We can fix this. And it starts by asking some uncomfortable questions starting with: Are you actually learning, or just copying really fast? Building cool stuff? Consider using UpCloud for its reliable performance, straightforward Kubernetes, and no-nonsense approach. I’ve got a promo code below — helps you get started, and helps me keep hacking and writing full-time.

May 18, 2025 - 02:00

AI killed my coding brain but I’m rebuilding it

We sprinted into the AI age of autocomplete IDEs now we’re waking up wondering why we forgot how to write a for-loop.

Introduction: how I forgot how to code

You ever stare at your screen and suddenly forget how a for-loop works?

Same. Specifically, Lua’s for-loop. I was on a new machine, hadn’t signed into Copilot, and just sat there like a deer in a syntax-shaped headlight.

“for k, j in… wait… is it pairs? ipairs? What is Lua?”

That’s when it hit me: AI tools like Copilot, Cursor, and CodeWhisperer have slowly numbed our fingers. We’re coding faster than ever before but we’re also thinking less. Repeating prompts like rituals. Accepting autocomplete like gospel. Forgetting why the code works and just being glad it does.

And I’m not the only one. Scroll dev Twitter or Reddit and you’ll see post after post:

“Ever since I started using AI, I feel like I’ve lost my ability to code without it.”

It’s not just dramatic. It’s happening. We’re creating a generation of devs who ship fast, but can’t explain why the code runs.

This isn’t about bashing AI. I use it too daily. But let’s talk honestly about what we’re trading: speed for mastery, autocomplete for understanding, shipping for skill.

The good news? We can fix this. And it starts by asking some uncomfortable questions starting with: Are you actually learning, or just copying really fast? Building cool stuff? Consider using UpCloud for its reliable performance, straightforward Kubernetes, and no-nonsense approach.
I’ve got a promo code below — helps you get started, and helps me keep hacking and writing full-time.