It’s Okay to Let AI In

There’s been a shift in how we build. AI isn’t just some future concept anymore. It’s here, and people are actually using it. Not just playing with it, but building with it. The vibe around coding is different now. You’re not stuck doing everything alone. You’ve got tools, co-pilots, helpers. Some call it AI code vibing. And honestly, I’m into it.

Used to code everything by hand. Every component, every API call, every config file. Full control, full responsibility. It was slow, sometimes frustrating, but that’s how you learned. If something broke, you had to fix it. If something didn’t make sense, you had to read, test, debug until it did. That process built real confidence. You knew your stack inside out because you had to.

Now I use AI. I open Cursor, drop a prompt, and it gives me a solid starting point. Sometimes it's right, sometimes it needs fixing, but it's a jump start. I use GPT to help with logic, quick solutions, even naming things when I’m tired. V0.dev for UI scaffolding. It cuts down the mental load. I don’t need to stare at a blank file wondering how to start. I just start.

I still write code, still refactor, still make decisions. But I’m not doing everything from scratch. And I don’t feel bad about it. I’ve already done the years of figuring things out the hard way. That’s behind me. I don’t need to earn it over and over again just to prove I’m a developer.

It’s now about speed and clarity. Getting ideas out quicker. Testing things faster. Skipping the boring parts and focusing on what actually matters. AI helps with that.

And I’m not the only one. According to recent StackOverflow survey, 76 percent of developers are either already using or planning to use AI tools in their workflow this year, up from 70 percent last year. Actual usage jumped from 44 to 62 percent. So this is not a niche thing anymore. It’s becoming standard.

It hasn’t made me less of a developer. If anything, it’s made me sharper. I still make the calls. I just don’t carry the whole load anymore. And honestly, it’s better this way.

There are obviously pros and cons to this new way of building.

On the good side, you start faster. You don’t sit in front of a blank screen trying to plan everything in your head. You just write a prompt, get a working base, and move. It saves a lot of mental energy. AI handles setup, boilerplate, even naming variables when your brain is fried. You stay in flow. You’re shipping more. And if you’re a solo builder, this makes a huge difference. You can move like a small team.

But it’s not perfect. The code you get isn’t always clean. Sometimes it’s bloated. Sometimes it breaks. You still have to review everything. AI doesn’t understand your product logic or the way your app works unless you guide it properly. You can’t just copy and paste everything without thinking. That’s how bugs sneak in. Also, if you lean on it too much, you might notice your own problem-solving skills getting a bit rusty.

Still, I’d take this over doing everything manually. It’s not about getting lazy. It’s about choosing where to spend your energy. I’d rather put my time into solving real problems than setting up the same things over and over.

Already shared some deeper thoughts in this article about the whole vibe coding movement. It gets into the mindset shift and what this all really feels like day to day.

Final note. If you’re on the edge, stuck between doing things the “real” way and trying these tools, just try them. Use them fully. Let them help. Build that tool you’ve had in your head for years. That idea you keep putting off because you don’t have time or energy? Now’s the time. Let the AI take some weight off. You still get to drive.

Just build it. You’ve got what you need.