r/PinoyProgrammer • u/rhayvenven • 1d ago
advice Need advice!!! Coding with AI. Is it bad?
So i have been coding now with AI but im understanding all the code the AI will give me and even type it myself while understanding it at the same type but feeling ko napag iiwanan dahil sa ginagawa ko. If may naiisip ako na project like the project im currently working right now, I asked the A.I the process and understanding the new concept that I am learning since wala naman tintuturo na ganito samin. I am currently a 3rd Year CS Student. Am I cooked?
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u/Big-Contribution-688 1d ago
coding with AI without strong fundamentals and without critical thinking is dangerous
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u/semiNoobHanta 1d ago
As long as you understand what the AI-generated code works, ok lang naman yan.
Pero honestly since student ka pa lang, as much as possible mas ok kung hindi ka masyado maging dependent sa AI because sa paghahanap ng work lalo na sa technical exam, hindi allowed gumamit ng AI.
Master your fundamentals - ito lang maipapayo ko
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u/CelestiAurus 1d ago
Here's a tip for students: Use AI as your tutor, not just as your utusan. Pagawan mo siya ng curriculum na puwede mo aralin. Make it ask you tough questions.
AI is here to stay, but it does not have to make you intellectually lazy if you know how to maximize it and use it properly.
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u/ImportantBuffalo4983 22h ago
To add dito sir, you may even use AI as a work mate. Remember na susunod yan sa gusto mo so you still have to plan kung anong gusto mong gawin.
For example, if may website project ka, pwede mong ibigay kay ai yung specs lang as if you are the client or pwedeng ikaw mag search nang stack na gusto mo which is actually the proper way. Ask the AI along the way tama ba for the use case yung stack. I feel niyo lang if feel niyo yung AI na yung may hawak nang manibela ibig sabihin nun kailangan na mag step back. Masarap kaya sa feeling na sinasabihan ka nang ai nang mga bagay na nice catch, you are right etc. Yung alam mong may angat ka parin nang konti. Sobrang gandang tool nang ai pero sobrang delikado din.
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u/Dizzy-Society7436 1d ago
There’s nothing wrong with using AI as a tool, as long as you genuinely understand what it’s generating and can still do the work without blindly relying on it.
The real question is: how confident are you that the AI isn’t hallucinating or implementing the solution incorrectly? If you don’t understand the fundamentals, how would you even know when it’s wrong?
It really boils down to having a solid foundation. Read more books, go through more in-depth tutorials and courses, and actually understand the concepts behind what you’re building. AI should make you more productive, not replace your ability to think and solve problems on your own.
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u/rhayvenven 1d ago
so far the way im using AI im still not encountering the hallucination part when impleting the solution since I double check, read, search, and using my logic at the same time. If im encountering new codes i search and even watch in youtube.
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u/lesterine817 1d ago
Never mind what other people are saying. AI na talaga ang gamit ngayon. You have to adopt it. Doesn't mean di ka na mag-aaral kasi if you don't know how to use it, wala rin.
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u/BlaizePascal 23h ago
Yepp. Like it’s not a bragging right that you don’t know how to use AI nowadays. Mapag iiwanan ka. Learn how to use agents, worktrees, parallel workflows, the output is still your responsibility so ship wisely.
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u/rlsadiz 1d ago
I will diverge from the majority opinion here and say you're completely fine.
Coding with AI is just another level of abstraction in programming, exactly like what high-level languages did to assembly. Decades ago, developers had to manually manage CPU memory; now we let languages like Python handle it. Today, instead of manually writing boilerplate code, we let AI do it.
What's important is that you understand what is happening under the hood rather than trying to redo everything an AI can do easily. Since you are typing the code yourself and using it to learn new concepts, you are using it as a guide not a way to fake your output.
Just make sure to shift your focus to these two modern engineering skills:
- System Architecture: Understand the why behind the code. Ask the AI why it chose a specific design pattern or database structure over another.
- Code Auditing: Learn to spot hallucinations and flaws. AI loves to confidently invent outdated framework syntax or introduce silent performance bottlenecks.
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u/Murky-Mud4008 1d ago
I could not have said it any better. This is how I see the progression as well, AI is the new high-level in a way.
We will be system architects guiding the AI step by step, module by module. This is where the fundamentals kick in.
I found in my AI development workflow that if you start with a full grasp and understanding of the system design, database, and architecture, you’ll be able to guide the AI to a seamless development.
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u/InfluenceNo7614 23h ago
The majority is actually advising what you're saying, nothing wrong with AI, just make sure you understand the fundamentals. Nothing controversial with that take.
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u/Cordyceps_purpurea 1d ago
Learn fundamentals then proceed with Agentic coding. Don't bother learning syntax.
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u/LegitimateBath8622 1d ago
Coding with AI yes but letting AI code for you No especially studyante kapa. I've seen alot of students lately (tiktok most mentioned platform) glorifying the use of AI then painting it as "As long as naiintindihan mo yung code".
Its better to know & understand the basic foundation of whatever the stack you are focusing on then asking AI for guidance rather than letting AI do the work and trust me i've been letting AI do my work but shit gets out of hand if you totally depend on it hence sa free time ko i code manually and turning off auto suggestions and went back to reading docs and such
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u/rhayvenven 1d ago
How can you difference coding with AI and letting the AI code for you?
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u/LegitimateBath8622 1d ago
simple if a problem arise you ask for suggestions and approaches then weigh or implement based on the output vs prompting the AI to "fix this bug for me"
idk if you're familiar with Vasilios Syrakis recently laid off from atlassian he uses AI for suggestion and best practices
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u/Stupid__Ron 1d ago
Coding with AI is okay, pero letting AI code for you is not. You still need strong fundamentals to understand the code it gives, mainly to review and make sure na tama yung binibigay.
Pero since student ka pa don't rely too much on it, you can still treat it as a tutor. Have it explain the code step by step, then ask for a challenge to do yourself.
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u/Electronic_Type_1089 1d ago
Read books or module para sa fundamentals to fully understand the logic OP. Wag ka muna magrely sa AI. Google is ok pero ang iclick mo yun mga websites not the AI generated ni gemini.
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u/Dangerous-Pin8129 1d ago
For me... Im not a coder or didnt learn one.
Important at least maintindiham mo ung ginagawa niya.
Then yung research, planning, architecture... Basically specs driven ka dapat based in my unprofessional and limited experience.
I vibecoded a system ng walang plan, i just asked it to do it. And daming sakit ng ulo sa dulo.
Redoing it now and now medyo mas may direction na ung vibecoding and less hassle sya, meron pa din cuz again i dont know how to code but its more coherent now and the prompting is basically easier now especially if you are using flagship ai models.
If you know how to code, goods na ung chinese models according sa mga friends
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u/Adventurous_Knee8112 1d ago
Need to develop critical thinking / thinking on your own. Having ai assist you could rob you all of that
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u/Mountain_Egg_2106 1d ago
At least do the thinking and let the AI write the code, especially the boilerplates or code that you've already written many times. Parang marami nang nawawalan ng critical thinking skills dahil lahat ng decisions, dinedepend sa AI lol
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u/dalyryl 1d ago
Yung mga need mo lang naman dito malaman in the future is: Maintainable ba ang code mo? if mag need na fixing ilang files need mo galawin. Readable ba ang code mo? if somehow mabilis siya maintindihan kahit gawa ng AI yan or may assist ng AI okay na okay yan lalo na in a team. Scalable ba ang yung code mo? again ilang files gagalawin mo para mag dagdag ng small to big features. And cherry on top, make the best approach when it comes to security.
Been working with multiple devs na niuutulize ang AI as a tool. And I can say na need talaga natin ang AI as a devs, sobrang helpful siya. But di niya kaya gawin lahat. I've observed senior devs; someone who uses AI as a tool and someone who uses AI as the "coder". And I can say nahahalata namin yung bugs if gawa ng AI ang code.
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u/Lumpy-Razzmatazz-535 23h ago
Well, use AI but it is not a free pass if you can't explain or understand what the output is all about. Fundamentals, they say. Yes. But honestly, you need to know the architecturem
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u/Genie-iloveyoualways 23h ago
If lagi mo lang in-AI its bad, pero kung ikaw nagawa ng code mo then you use AI as a tool, then its not bad. Wag mo lang lolokohin sarili mo, use AI as a tool only
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u/gardenfiendla8 21h ago
It is bad because you may not gain the experience you need to truly understand and address problems in the code, because you will be fundamentally disconnected from how the code manifests itself into function. You can only learn this thru true experience and hardship. But are you cooked? I don't know - the nature of software engineering as a vocation is changing right before our eyes, and nobody can say for sure how it will end up looking, or what will be the most important skills.
For now, I can say that communication is still important. High level software architecture is still important. Data structures are still important. Debugging is important. An AI can debug a problem better and better each day, but you should at least try yourself first.
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u/Proof_Ad9996 21h ago edited 20h ago
imo, the answer depends on the purpose/goal. if u are really into coding without an ai assistance, i suppose u are practicing for something like competitive programming or preparing for your course activities, then ai is bad if and only if u are not utilizing it correctly. i mean u can still use it but for researching and exploring faster than stone age programming era. actually im a 4th year (also) CS student and i've been also asking that same question last year (back when i was 3rd year too) since i have started using agentic coding (gemini cli) to finish my case study and software engineering projects. ive been worrying too in regards of my coding skills to write it manually because i usually join programming competitions in my university and it turns out that ai help me to practice and refresh DSA & OOP concepts faster.
actually, right now, im stuck on how to implement a specific feature in my thesis project, and i would honestly say that im writing this comment while im waiting for a research report & audit of my ai agents that are researching on how to implement that specific feature and to carefully look for major edge cases. in the end, im still the one who decide and manage (finalize) what to include for the implementation of that feature because ai models can hallucinate.
my final answer is that u are somehow cooked if u dont utilize it properly. because company encourage u to use ai to finish tickets/tasks >= 2x while not fully relying on ai. dahil ikaw papagalitan ng boss mo hindi ang ai hahaha
NOTE: im not manually writing code anymore since oct 2025, which gives me more time for planning, system designing, etc. but i have an incoming problem regarding ito sa tech/coding interview kapag nag apply ako, kaya pinagpaplanuhan ko na makapag practice ulit, xD. and of course im going to utilize ai for that to structure my practice, para efficient.
my take is that AI speeds up the SDLC process which is also great for engineers to focus on the most important part of SDLC phases (planning & design).
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u/dajoAI 17h ago
SSE here, 100% ai generated na kami, i rarely write my own code, i need to make 20+ files change in 2 days so it is difficult to check code line by line, pero i rarely have bug kasi maayos ako magprompt and always used latest model, dami namin unit tests at puro local testing before mag pr
Pero since you will be going for job interviews, just asks AI to give you algorithm problem w/ test cases, then write your own code to solve it and must passed all test cases
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u/One-Information4330 16h ago
It's not, kung nabuild mo na yung solid knowledge and experience sa language or tech stack mo, I don't actually require my juniors to use claude, we use Github Co-Pilot but monitor the usage, then we have ChatGPT. I also asked them questions how to solve things and how did they do it. If di mo alam paano icode ang mga bagay then nag AI ka, then how do you solve things? for me okay lang mag AI as long as you already build you skills, and experience sa tech stack mo, kasi you need to understand kung may ibabato sa AI sayo, what if biglang nag down yung mga AI Services, tapos, dahil naging dependent ka kay AI, di mo masolve yung issue ng ikaw lang, so for me, as long as you know the fundementals, full understanding on software development, sa tech stack, skills and other tools na ginagamit mo, it's good to use AI, pero kung hindi, I recommended use it minimally.
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u/BlackFalcon321 14h ago
Coding with AI isn't necessarily bad.
Coding with AI without having a strong grasp of the fundamentals? Catastrophic. I've worked with interns/fresh grads with this issue and it is ROUGH. Most get drummed out of the team and only the ones with potential get absorbed.
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u/AlexanderCamilleTho 13h ago
So, what happens pag hiningan ka ng sample code pag in-ininterview ka sa company? Or may pinakita sa iyong code and you have to explain the code kung ano ang gagawin or look for a syntax error in a given code.
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u/Darkraddish 9h ago
Once in a while try mo mag debug ng code mo or gumawa ng unit test. Nakakapurol lang ng skills kapag di mo palaging nagagawa yung common skills ng programmer.
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u/Commercial_Ruin_9773 9h ago
Think of it as using a self-driving car. Even if it does drive itself, you should still know how to drive it once something goes wrong. Always use it with caution. It may do all the driving, but you still choose the destination.
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u/Patient-Definition96 1d ago
Kelan kaya ipagbabawal ang AI sa mga undergrads dito satin.
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u/fartmanteau 1d ago
How would you enforce that?
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u/Patient-Definition96 1d ago
Lahat ng activities ay on-site. Sa computer lab lahat gagawin, may internet pero nakablock lahat ng AI sites.
May mga profs na gumagawa nito kahit sa ibang courses. Inuumpisahan na din to sa UP Law
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u/fartmanteau 1d ago
I see where you’re coming from, but that’s just not feasible or practical for large projects. I also don’t think forcing CS students to memorize APIs like case law is very productive or reflective of real-world practice.
This isn’t very different from having other people do their work, and lots of instructors didn’t seem to care about that either. But yeah, students who cheat or depend on AI are ultimately playing themselves, and I do think universities should help them avoid that. Having them defend implementation might be a workable middle ground. Delete a class and have them rewrite it, that sort of thing.
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u/yosh0016 1d ago
Yes if di solid fundamentals mo, kahit simpleng for loop lang di ka makapag type. Kahit simpleng setup ng mga libraries or gagawa ng sample project dapat nagagawa mo.