My Type of Coding: Who reads what AI writes?

One of the detractors of AI in the software development field is the idea that it does and will inhibit critical thinking and creativity among the next generation of developers. While I agree that this is possible, I don't see it as inevitable. In fact, AI in coding has the potential to usher in a new era of competency and understanding of the underlying principles of programming. Much of the focus around AI has been on it being a tool to write code, to fill in blanks that a human developer would otherwise have to fill in. This begs an interesting question though, who is reading that code? Who is the critical thinker who reviews the changes and handles integration? One story is that its nobody, that we all just vibe code and git commit -m yolo. Another story is that there's an overworked senior developer who is driven mad chasing the inconsistencies in the patchwork quilt that is vibe code. Neither of these stories is particularly positive or appealing from the standpoint of professional growth. When I was starting out in software development, there was StackOverflow, there was Google and blog posts, and there were API Docs. There was a fourth, and lesser known resource that I found invaluable, and that is code. Yes that stuff we write, and more importantly the stuff other people write. I often say the point where my growth accelerated was when I started critically reading other peoples code. This isn't something I have seen many developers, junior or otherwise, doing. Yes they participate in code reviews, yes they read the code around what they need to modify and extend, but no they don't read with the express purpose of learning new patterns, and new ways of doing things. This is where AI offers us an incredible opportunity. Rather than using AI to simply write code for you, read the code it creates, engage your critical thinking skills, and learn from the patterns and practices it represents. In many ways it is the spirit of everyone else's code the model has gobbled up that you're conjuring when you hit enter on your well crafted prompt. AI offers us a learning experience tailored to the particular problems we're trying to solve. AI certainly has the potential to drain our brains, to deprive us of opportunities to learn and think in the name of efficiency. Now that you're more efficient though, take the time to read through the code, understand the patterns, the API's involved. Find the mistakes and inconsistencies hidden like Easter Eggs throughout AI generated code. Become that senior developer who is not just reading code, but learning from it.

Apr 11, 2025 - 05:20

My Type of Coding: Who reads what AI writes?

One of the detractors of AI in the software development field is the idea that it does and will inhibit critical thinking and creativity among the next generation of developers. While I agree that this is possible, I don't see it as inevitable. In fact, AI in coding has the potential to usher in a new era of competency and understanding of the underlying principles of programming.

Much of the focus around AI has been on it being a tool to write code, to fill in blanks that a human developer would otherwise have to fill in. This begs an interesting question though, who is reading that code? Who is the critical thinker who reviews the changes and handles integration?

One story is that its nobody, that we all just vibe code and git commit -m yolo. Another story is that there's an overworked senior developer who is driven mad chasing the inconsistencies in the patchwork quilt that is vibe code. Neither of these stories is particularly positive or appealing from the standpoint of professional growth.

When I was starting out in software development, there was StackOverflow, there was Google and blog posts, and there were API Docs. There was a fourth, and lesser known resource that I found invaluable, and that is code. Yes that stuff we write, and more importantly the stuff other people write. I often say the point where my growth accelerated was when I started critically reading other peoples code.

This isn't something I have seen many developers, junior or otherwise, doing. Yes they participate in code reviews, yes they read the code around what they need to modify and extend, but no they don't read with the express purpose of learning new patterns, and new ways of doing things. This is where AI offers us an incredible opportunity.

Rather than using AI to simply write code for you, read the code it creates, engage your critical thinking skills, and learn from the patterns and practices it represents. In many ways it is the spirit of everyone else's code the model has gobbled up that you're conjuring when you hit enter on your well crafted prompt. AI offers us a learning experience tailored to the particular problems we're trying to solve.

AI certainly has the potential to drain our brains, to deprive us of opportunities to learn and think in the name of efficiency. Now that you're more efficient though, take the time to read through the code, understand the patterns, the API's involved. Find the mistakes and inconsistencies hidden like Easter Eggs throughout AI generated code. Become that senior developer who is not just reading code, but learning from it.