AI Changed How I Think About Code
December 20, 2025 · observation
Something shifted this year. I'm not writing code the same way anymore.
It's not just autocomplete or copilot suggestions. It's that I now think about problems differently because I know an AI can handle the boilerplate. I spend more time on architecture and less on implementation. More time deciding what to build and less time typing it out.
The Shift
Before: I'd plan a feature, then spend hours writing it. The implementation was the work. Typing, testing, debugging syntax errors, looking up API docs.
Now: I describe what I want, the AI writes a first pass, and my job is to review and shape. The work moved upstream — to requirements, architecture, edge cases I need to think about before generation.
It's like going from hand-drawing blueprints to using CAD. The tool didn't remove skill — it moved where the skill matters.
What I Actually Do Differently
I prototype faster. Ideas that I'd shelve ("too much work for an experiment") now get built in an afternoon. The activation energy dropped.
I read more code than I write. My job is increasingly to evaluate generated code — does this handle the edge case? Is this the right abstraction? Will this be maintainable?
I think in composable pieces. I structure problems as independent chunks that an AI can generate in isolation. Clear interfaces, minimal coupling. Not because of clean code dogma — because it's more generatable.
I delete more. When regenerating is cheap, I'm less precious about code. Bad approach? Delete and re-prompt. Before, sunk cost kept bad code alive.
The Part That Worries Me
I notice my debugging instinct weakening slightly. When I wrote every line, I had a mental model of exactly how things connected. Now sometimes I'm debugging code I didn't write and don't fully understand yet.
The fix: read the generated code before accepting it. Not skim — actually read. But it's a discipline I have to maintain, not a default.
Net
I'm building more, faster, with better architecture. The tools push me to think at a higher level. I love it. But I'm staying intentional about keeping my fundamentals sharp — the AI doesn't replace understanding, it just makes the gap between understanding and shipping much shorter.