Pros and Cons of AI-Assisted Coding

I started using AI to assist with coding in 2022, when ChatGPT 3.5 came out. It felt like magic for a sophomore CS student. That's roughly three years ago now, and I'd love to share my current workflow and how I balance AI usage in my developer routine.

Pros

AI dramatically improves productivity for student and junior-level developers. As a beginner, I used to jump back and forth between documentation, GeeksforGeeks, Stack Overflow, and even W3Schools just to find syntax or answers to basic questions. AI is way faster at helping me write code.

But more importantly, AI saves mental energy that I can redirect to other tasks—learning new concepts, working on assignments, or preparing for exams when I was still in school. Instead of burning brain cells on syntax lookup, I could focus on understanding the bigger picture.

Cons

However, I quickly discovered that relying too heavily on AI could hurt my learning. I wasn't actually retaining information when I kept hitting tab to accept autocompletions. The wake-up call came when I was on an international flight, tried to work on my project offline, and couldn't code effectively. That's when I realized my approach was fundamentally flawed.