I’ve been building things for a long time. Websites, apps, experiments. Some finished, most quietly... Tagged with ai, selfimprovement, webdev, mentalhealth.

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Using AI coding assistants can trigger feelings of guilt and imposter syndrome, as if the work doesn't count without manual struggle. The author reflects on how AI removes friction between ideas and implementation, arguing that the real value lies in creativity, decision-making, and what gets built—not the keystrokes. The piece validates developers who feel conflicted about AI assistance, reframing it as a tool that amplifies existing capabilities rather than diminishing them.

I use AI when I code. And sometimes it makes me feel like I’m cheating.

The quiet voice that shows up after the code runs

But the real point was never the keystrokes

Maybe the creativity was mine the whole time

I think it is because the job is evolving, the task of actually typing the code becomes redundant and the task of designing the code and managing the AI becomes the new focus

Programming was never about typing. It was always about thinking. If you use an AI, to create a functioning, good product, you could’ve made yourself, then you did the work, not the AI.

Keep grinding! It is cheating yourself not to use it!
Never forgetting my copy paste days on SO! Not cheating either… :)

yup that’s a little bit my feeling too

The productivity gains that come from proper use of coding agents are real. As long as you own the code and understand it, there’s no compelling reason not to use these incredible tools. Naysayers either have no idea what they are doing with these tools, or are working in advanced domains that require expertise beyond normal dev work.