AI Can Write Code… But It Can’t Think Like You

Recently at my work, I was coding a GUI in C#. And I thought this was a good time to start using ChatGPT to help me write my code because it got me about 70% of the way there. But what I noticed was it wouldn’t work completely and maybe there were some edge cases that I needed to iron out.

The only time that ChatGPT could actually give me working code is if I as a developer would look at what was going on and using my intuition that I’ve developed over the years, I would be able to have an idea or suspicion on what the issue is and what was happening with this bug that I was seeing. And when I would tell that to ChatGPT, only then would ChatGPT be able to give me a working solution.

So, the moral of the story here is that AI can give you some working code. It can give you some fixes, but it’s only as good as the developer who’s prompting it. And the developer who’s prompting it is the actual one who’s doing the diagnosis of the code.

To help you get better with software intuition, I have a free guide that you can download called my high IQ software checklist. And it’s just a checklist that you can go through that you can use to audit your own code bases. And it just helps you think about some things when it comes to architecting your code that could actually make it better and a lot more robust. So, you can download that in the link in the description.

The Hidden Cost of “Vibe Coding”

So many students I encounter feel like amateurs. They use AI, and it doesn’t actually help them get better at coding. They can make code that works. They can make their code run well and do certain things. But it doesn’t help them become better software developers.

I recently got an email from a subscriber and she said this:
“I depend on AI a lot and this weakened my skills a lot.”

If you use AI like this, where you’re just copy and pasting code but you don’t understand it, then that will weaken your skills. Eventually, you’ll have code that you don’t understand. And when that happens, you won’t be able to debug it. You won’t be able to extend it. You won’t be able to build on top of it.

Programming Is Not About Languages

I think what a lot of people are forgetting is that there’s a human aspect to coding. Software engineers are not just coders. They are architects. We need to stop thinking of ourselves as “a C programmer” or “a Python programmer.” It’s not about the language you’re using. It’s about the ideas in your head that you’re trying to express. Programming languages are just a means of communication. They are how you tell the computer what you want it to do.

What Software Engineers Actually Do All Day

When I think about my daily job, I’m not coding for 8 hours straight. Most of the day is spent thinking. Reading documentation. Understanding problems. The actual time spent coding is maybe 10% of the time. From my experience, the work of a software engineer can be broken down into four phases:

1. Understanding the need
You have to deeply understand the problem before you can solve it. This involves asking questions and verifying requirements.

2. Planning the solution
This requires understanding your codebase and figuring out how to approach the problem.

3. Coding the solution
This is where you actually implement the plan. Ironically, this is often the easiest part.

4. Integration and testing
This is where things get real. You test edge cases, fix bugs, and make sure everything works together.

Where AI Actually Fits

Now let’s break down where AI fits into this process.

Understanding the need? That’s on you. AI can’t replace that.

Planning? Maybe AI can help, but only if you already understand the problem and your codebase.

Coding? This is where AI shines. It can speed things up significantly.

Integration? Again, this is on you. AI can’t test your system in the real world or fully understand how everything connects.

So when people say AI will replace developers, they’re only looking at one part of the job.

The Real Shift: From Coder to Architect

As AI becomes more powerful, the most valuable skill you can develop is not typing faster. It’s thinking better. You need to lean into what makes you human. The best way to describe that is becoming an architect. Someone who understands systems, diagnoses problems, and designs solutions. Coding is just one small piece of that.

Technology Doesn’t Replace You. It Amplifies You.

Fear of new technology isn’t new. In the early 1900s, there were musicians who feared recorded music. They thought it would replace them. But what actually happened was the opposite. Recorded music made them more famous. It amplified their reach. The same thing is happening with AI. AI doesn’t replace developers. It amplifies them. But only if you actually know what you’re doing.

Final Thought

As the barrier to entry rises, you can’t get away with just “knowing how to code” anymore. You have to understand systems. You have to develop intuition. You have to think like an architect. Because at the end of the day, AI can write code. But it can’t think like you.