Are Personal Projects Still Worth It in the Age of AI?

I used to build things because I had to.

Need a portfolio? Build something. Want to learn React? Build something. Trying to land your first job? Build. Something.

But then AI coding assistants showed up — and suddenly, anyone can build something. Your non-technical friend can prompt their way to a working to-do app. A designer can spin up a full-stack side project over a weekend. A product manager can ship a Chrome extension without writing a single line by hand.

So the question a lot of developers are quietly asking themselves now is: if AI can build it, why should I?

It's a fair question. And I think most answers out there get it wrong.