AI Pair Programming: The Good, The Bad, and The Future
After spending six months actively using AI coding assistants in my daily work, I've developed a nuanced view of their role in software development. These tools are neither a magic solution nor a threat to replace developers - they're powerful augmentations to our existing workflow.
Key observations:
- AI excels at boilerplate code and repetitive tasks
- It's surprisingly good at explaining complex code patterns
- The tools sometimes suggest outdated or insecure practices
- Human oversight remains crucial for architecture decisions
The most effective approach I've found is treating AI as a junior developer - one that can work incredibly fast but needs supervision and code review. It's particularly valuable for:
- Writing test cases
- Documenting code
- Refactoring repetitive patterns
- Exploring alternative implementations
The future likely holds even more sophisticated AI tools, but the core skills of problem-solving and system design remain fundamentally human.