New Delhi: As more engineers turn to AI for coding and software development, concerns are growing about the increasing reliance on AI tools for even basic tasks. Many engineers worry that excessive dependence on AI could gradually weaken human understanding, problem-solving skills, and the ability to build software independently.
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu joined the debate by responding to a viral X post from a software engineer, who described an increasingly AI-driven engineering environment at a large company.
“This is sad. I tell our engineers to use AI but never cede our understanding to AI,” said Vembu, adding that engineers should use AI as a tool but retain ownership of their technical understanding.
Vembu further compared the speed at which the industry is adopting AI-powered development tools to driving “a fancy new car” without properly understanding how to operate it.
“As an industry, we are driving too fast in a fancy new car we barely understand how to drive, inviting disaster,” Vembu added.
Vembu’s post came after a long post by an engineer on X on Sunday. Sharing his experience, the engineer said that AI coding assistant Claude Code was being used for almost every part of the software-development workflow, including specifications, code, tests, product requirement documents (PRDs), tickets, ticket resolutions and reports.
The engineer also noted that the team was being pushed to maximise the amount of software it shipped despite concerns among team members about the approach.
“Nobody knows anything here,” the engineer wrote. “The specs, code, tests, PRDs, tickets, resolution of those tickets, reports, etc., everything is made by Claude Code. Nobody on my team likes this. They are being forced to ship as much as they can.”
The post further described a workplace in which engineers were allegedly spending 12 to 13 hours a day directing AI rather than deeply engaging with the software being produced.
“Nobody is resolving bugs. In reality, nobody is thinking anymore. Everything is done by LLMs,” the post said.
The post and the ensuing conversation about the use of AI soon attracted wider attention online, with people sharing their own experiences in the workplace and their views on the use of AI.
“Exactly what I’ve been telling people why I don’t use AI to ship code. I tried once and I have absolutely no idea of what’s in the codebase,” said a user on X.
“People slowly forgetting not just coding but their other activities too like writing emails, documents, complex Excel macros, PPT slides etc. For everything it’s AI now. Even the students have stopped writing essays or solving maths problems themselves. Complete AI domination,” added another.
However, the debate was not limited to the use of AI and the growing dependence on it. People on social media also discussed the increasing pressure on engineers and the level of productivity that AI tools can offer, often far beyond what a human can achieve alone. Many defended the use of artificial intelligence as a way to reduce workloads, save time, and help manage the growing demands of their jobs.
“I believe if we give them enough time, with not so tight deadlines, they’d have the willingness to ‘understand’. If the main goal is results and not the process itself, I think this is bound to happen,” said a user on X.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)