I've Been A Software Engineer For 12 Years, And I'm Not Impressed With AI Coding. Sometimes It's Faster To Do The Work Myself

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AI coding tools are supposed to make software developers faster and more productive. But one engineer with 12 years of experience says the technology often creates more work than it saves. Between fixing bugs, reviewing code and correcting mistakes, they're starting to wonder whether writing everything themselves is simply easier.

In a recent Reddit discussion , the engineer questioned the huge productivity gains being promised by AI companies. Despite trying tools such as Claude Code, they haven't seen the improvements everyone keeps talking about.

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When AI Creates More Work Than It Saves

"The biggest issue I have is that you just can't trust it to not mess up even the easiest task and you have to review every line," the engineer wrote.

They said AI frequently produces unnecessarily complicated code filled with bugs . And checking every line can take longer than doing the job manually, especially when the developer already understands the software they're working on.

Even smaller tasks aren't necessarily faster.

"If I try to keep the changes minimal and only change a class or method I feel by the time I gave the right context I could've changed it in a similar time," they wrote.

Giving AI larger assignments creates another problem. The tool generates hundreds of lines of code, but someone still needs to check whether everything works and whether the changes have broken something else.

The engineer said UI design is one area where AI has been genuinely helpful because the results are easier to review and test.

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The discussion highlights a problem companies are trying to solve as they introduce AI coding tools. AI can generate code quickly, but it doesn't always understand how different parts of a software system work together.

That's the issue Bito , an AI coding startup, is targeting . The company has developed what it calls a "brain" for AI coding tools, designed to help them understand entire software systems, avoid costly mistakes and reduce AI-related expenses.

Bito says its technology reduced AI coding costs by 48% in testing, while companies including Contentful, Gainsightand Swiggy are already using its products. The startup has raised more than $3.3 million and is offering investment opportunities starting at $1,000 .

Developers Can't Agree On Whether AI Is Worth It

Some developers agreed that AI-generated code creates problems that aren't immediately obvious.

"The code is mediocre at best (for features that were solved a million times already)," one commenter wrote. "The problem is that a lot of people are happy to deliver slop."

Another developer pointed to the pressure coming from management.

"My bosses don't want high quality code," they wrote. "They want slop code that's good enough fast."

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But others said AI has completely changed how quickly they can work.

One developer described building the first version of an application in five days, spending another 25 hours debugging it and generating revenue from something that previously would have required a much larger team.

Another experienced engineer said AI had dramatically increased their productivity, although they still review plans, check the code and make corrections before releasing anything.

The original poster remained skeptical, particularly about who seems most excited about the technology.

"Biggest AI advocates in my company are project managers," they wrote. "I got the impression that the less you know the more you 'll be impressed by AI."

Image: Shutterstock

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This article I've Been A Software Engineer For 12 Years, And I'm Not Impressed With AI Coding. Sometimes It's Faster To Do The Work Myself originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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