I’ve worked as a software developer for some years, and (unfortunately) decided to try out AI to “help me with coding” for a period of time in 2024. That brief experience only made me dumber and more stressed, and in no way more productive. Imo relying on chatbots only stops you from learning new things, and distracts you from getting into the rhythm of what you already know. Believe me, writing bad code and good code can both be done much better and faster without the help of LLMs. There are a ton of great resources out there for learning, and they only got better since I was new to it. This matches with the experiences of other developers I talked to.
I also have some other reasons why I’m trying to avoid this technology: It’s pushed by dubious corporations into anything and everything, even if it’s not wanted or needed. It’s largely build on stolen work. It is beginning to be used in mass surveillance and warfare. It’s a highly centralized technology in the hands of a few organizations, and neither of them seems trustworthy at all. It also produces a ton of pollution, guzzling up electricity and drinking water like crazy.
I’m not condemning people who ask a few questions from a chatbot now and then, especially since all the search engines are garbage lately, but I also don’t think vibecoding is just “using a new tool”. The best metaphor I can think for it is standing in line for a chance to get stolen jewelry for free. Even if someone gets something that looks valuable, that doesn’t make them a master jeweler, or even a master thief. They’re only getting better at filling up queues and waiting for things to happen.