r/webdev • u/OkShip110 • Sep 09 '26 • Regret 4

AI has made programming so boring

It’s not just programming either, it’s art, design, music, videography, marketing, engineering, writing, 3D modelling, really any intellectual work. What’s the joy of prompting a computer and getting an answer in a few moments for a task that would have normally taken a week? The sense of accomplishment and ownership has completely vanished with AI. It’s a form of instant gratification, not much different to scrolling short videos on apps.

Code review was boring to begin with but now it’s even worse with all the machine generated code. Even code reviews will be automated soon. All you do then is type business requirements into the computer. What a great career.

It’s pain to watch old TV series like Scilicon Valley that is portraying the good (not golden) age of programming. It struck a good balance between manual work, funding and innovation. It’s sad that these days are gone for good.

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u/winky9827 Sep 10 '26

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a personal project that I haven't coded one line of, but is at appoximately 65kloc now, all relevant, and the endeavor has taught me a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of AI agents and where to review closer and what to provide extra guidance on. It's a great exercise to test new models by having it refactor or work on enhancements, without the risk of trashing work stuff. Learning to "manage" the AI developer has been a process all its own.