We need to change the way we use AI, or the future of software will be in danger

Introduction

Hi, I'm John from the Pythonista channel, and this is going to be a very different video than I am used to making.

Since the beginning of this AI revolution, I have been very skeptical about it replacing developer jobs. But today, I see that this is not the problem yet, the main issue is how developers are using AI in their daily basis and how some companies are supporting bad practices (like google's recent firebase studio thing that is basically vibe coding).

Vibe coding and how it affects beginners

But what is vibe coding? So, there was this new trend, where you use AI to build apps for you and you don't even have to look at the code, you don't have to write, nor debug. Just let the AI do the job.

What's the problem with this approach? Well, you simply lose the ability to think by yourself and become to dependent on AI for everything. Programming loses it's meaning. It was supposed to be a challenge, but now you let the robot do it for you.

And the first threats of AI generated code have already begun to emerge.

We're facing a new era of programmers who are losing the capacity of reasoning and solving problems logically. They believe that thinking is a waste of time, they use AI for everything they struggle to reason, and they call this "productivity". When in reality, they are just becoming ignorant programmers.

This, is very very bad for beginners. Listen, if you are a beginner in this field of computer science and programming, using AI is probably the worst thing you can do. It's like giving a calculator a child who is learning basic math.

As Linus Torvalds once said:

“Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.” — Linus Torvalds, creator of Linux

If you're using AI to completely do the job for you, there's no fun at all. I'm not saying you should stop using AI right now. As for the contrary, use it! I use AI everyday now, I don't even use stack overflow anymore, I even used AI to make a research for this video. We can't deny the fact that AI is a very powerful tool.

The thing is, you should use it as it was intended to be used: as a copilot, but people seem to be using it as an autopilot instead. If you do so, you're just letting yourself be replaced by it, and it will become way harder to find jobs now and then. Because if you're not adding much value beyond what AI can do, then what makes you special and irreplaceable? That's what just happened when the CEO of Shopify stated that you now have to prove that your job can't be done by AI before getting hired.

Shopify CEO says staffers need to prove jobs can’t be done by AI before asking for more headcount

Using AI as a copilot means you're still in control, you're thinking and making decisions. You can let the AI help with mundane tasks, conduct effective research and help you fix bugs, which saves a lot of time that you can use to focus on solving more important problems. By doing this, you won't stop being creative, and most importantly, you'll learn much more and much faster than you would without AI. AI is meant to be your partner along the way.

Now, when you use it as an autopilot, you're just outsourcing the thinking of AI and not adding effort to your job. In the end, you create an app full of security and optimization issues that you don't know how to fix, and then, you reach a point where not even AI can help you fix them.

I was thinking, what a genius inventor like Leonardo DaVinci would do if he had AI tools available. So, I asked ChatGPT and it answered:

If Leonardo da Vinci had access to AI tools like ChatGPT, he’d likely become an even more prolific innovator—using AI to iterate on his engineering designs, explore new artistic styles, accelerate language learning, and analyze scientific data far beyond his time. With tools to simulate his inventions, translate texts, and visualize complex anatomy, he could’ve leapt centuries ahead in multiple fields. He might have even used AI as a constant thought partner, helping organize his boundless curiosity into structured, actionable ideas.

Notice the word "partner", that's the point.

Conclusion

So, please, use AI mindfully, as I said, use it as a partner, as a tool. Instead of asking AI to write an email for your boss, write the email first with your own words, and then ask AI to correct grammar mistakes and improve the text. Instead of asking AI to implement a full stack application for you, ask it where to start, ask it to break it down into key components and explain how they would work together, so you can implement by yourself. That will make you a better programmer and train your brain for real challenges. Stop sacrificing knowledge for speed.

Do I think AI will replace programmers? I guess that's really hard to happen, since programming involves way more than just code, it's a very complex field, and we have already seen the problem of AI generated code when we saw some vibe coded apps getting hacked so easily and with a questionable quality.

That's it for today guys, comment down below if you want to see more videos like this or if I should keep doing technical tutorials only.

I did this video because I am out of ideas for tutorials, and I'm really out of time to code something fun. Feel free to leave suggestions.

That's it thanks for watching.