Don't Outsource the Learning

Addy Osmani argues that the default way developers use AI coding tools optimizes for closing tasks rather than building understanding. Drawing on three recent studies — an Anthropic randomized trial, MIT's 'Your Brain on ChatGPT' EEG research, and a CHI 2026 paper — he shows that passive AI use measurably degrades comprehension and critical thinking. The key finding: the tool doesn't determine the outcome, the posture does. Engineers who used AI to ask conceptual questions outperformed those who copy-pasted generated code. Osmani offers concrete workflow shifts: form a hypothesis before prompting, ask for explanations before code, use learning modes (Claude's Learning Mode, ChatGPT's Study Mode), treat AI output like a junior engineer's PR, and periodically re-derive code by hand. He frames ship velocity and skill growth as two separate metrics — only one of which your employer tracks — and warns that engineers who can only ship with AI are entering a labor market already repricing what expertise is worth.