One Month with AI as a Coding Companion – A Developer’s Reflection

As an experienced developer, I recently spent over a month integrating AI tools into my development workflow—primarily while working on backend systems using Node.js and writing Kafka consumers. It was a journey full of surprising accelerations and some sobering realizations.

The Speed Advantage

First and foremost, the speed gain is real. AI drastically improved my workflow, especially during boilerplate creation, API scaffolding, and even proposing algorithmic approaches for complex backend workflows. Tasks that once took hours now often take minutes. For any seasoned developer juggling multiple priorities, this is a major boost.

Where AI Falls Short

However, this speed sometimes comes at a cost. I noticed that AI-generated solutions tend to be over-engineered. When I revised my prompts to suggest simpler alternatives, the AI often agreed—sometimes even admitting that the simpler version was better and more maintainable. This shows that while AI can write code, it doesn’t yet think like an experienced human developer.

Testing: Impressive, Yet Imperfect

Unit tests were another revealing area. AI is phenomenal at thinking through edge cases—often suggesting a broader and more comprehensive test suite than I would’ve initially written. But ironically, the code it wrote often failed its own tests. The AI’s response? Add more complexity. At that point, I had to step in and say, “Stop coding. Tell me what you're trying to do.”

This experience highlighted that AI still struggles with balancing simplicity and correctness, especially in logic-heavy workflows.

The Human Cost: Eroding Analytical Muscles?

One deeper concern that emerged was the potential erosion of our own problem-solving skills. If AI takes on the heavy lifting of algorithm design, are we losing the analytical rigor that once defined us as engineers?

Sure, we’re now shifting focus toward higher-level design and better communication through prompts. But I can’t help wondering what this shift means in the long run. Are we sharpening new skills while dulling old ones?

Final Thoughts

Working with AI over this past month has been like pairing with a supercharged but impulsive junior developer—fast, helpful, but in need of guidance. It's a powerful tool, no doubt. But like all tools, how we use it—and what we choose to retain control over—will define its impact on our craft.