We have created a generation of developers who are able to write code at a pace that they cannot read. This shouldn't be a skill.
By early 2024, over 1.8 million paid subscribers trusted GitHub Copilot to write their code. The tool is omnipresent. And no, I won't argue against AI assistants. I'll argue we've been turning a blind eye to one of their consequences, and it's going to sting.
The Speed Trap
Copilot is optimized for one thing: output speed. Hit Tab, get code. Hit Tab again, get more code. It feels productive. It feels like flow.
However, being able to follow the flow of code does not mean that you understood everything. A junior dev can scaffold an entire feature in an afternoon without understanding a single line of what was generated.
