One Month Without AI

For several months, the narrator had decided to refrain from utilizing AI in their open-source project, LibreWeddingPlanner. While they had received a few AI-generated contributions, such as translations and feature requests, they were determined to avoid future conflicts and reaffirm their stance against AI. However, this did not prevent them from using AI at their workplace and among their peers, who embraced AI tools with enthusiasm.

The narrator recalled a friend's words urging them to try AI for themselves, promising increased productivity and efficiency. Once they began using AI, they found it incredibly challenging to stop, likening the experience to an addiction. They enabled enhanced autocomplete in their text editor and started using various code generation models, gradually becoming more dependent on AI for their work.

Initially, the narrator used AI to assist with implementing functions and writing tests, following the Test-Driven Development (TDD) methodology. However, they soon found themselves relying on AI for most of the coding process, which led to a loss of control over the changes being made to the codebase. This dependence on AI made them feel less efficient, as they often spent more time reviewing AI-generated changes than they would have spent writing the code themselves.

As time passed, the narrator found it increasingly difficult to maintain focus and control over their work. They began giving entire Jira tickets to AI agents, who would generate PRs based on the provided descriptions. This approach allowed them to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, but the narrator realized that they often didn't fully understand the changes being made by the AI agents.

They felt pressured to merge these changes without thoroughly reviewing them, leading to a decline in code quality and personal productivity.

Despite their best efforts to maintain control, the narrator eventually acknowledged that they had not written a single line of code independently in several months. They had become reliant on AI to handle various aspects of their work, from writing code to generating PR descriptions. This reliance on AI led to a loss of personal accountability and a decline in their overall understanding of the codebase.

The narrator realized that the multiplied performance of AI was an illusion, while the increased frustration, exhaustion, and loss of control were tangible and unavoidable consequences of their dependency on AI tools.