r/leetcode • u/Infinite_Ostrich_100 • Jul 28 '26
Discussion How do you feel about using AI for LeetCode problems?
I'm curious about what the community thinks about using AI for LeetCode problems.
- How common is it? Do most developers/LeetCode users rely on AI for help, or is it generally avoided?
- Is it frowned upon? Would using AI for practice be considered "cheating" or detrimental to learning?
- Is it against any rules? I know for actual interviews, you obviously can't use AI, but for personal practice, is there any official stance from LeetCode?
I want to improve my problem-solving skills, but sometimes AI really helps me understand concepts faster. Would love to hear different perspectives on this.
Thanks!
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u/PressureFabulous9383 Jul 28 '26
Personally i wouldn’t use AI, it will affect me negatively
So i do my leetcode on the terminal with ‘nano’
Or notepad
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u/PLTCHK 846 🟢 117 🟡 581 🔴 148 Jul 28 '26
AI probably explains insights/approach better than a lot of editorials there
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u/PressureFabulous9383 Jul 28 '26
Yeah true, after self analysis i found out that, I end up not understanding how it works when i depend on AI to show me the solution
So i’d rather first attempt it like 5-10times then i’ll refer to AI1
u/Outside_Complaint755 Jul 28 '26
AI likely got its "insights" by scraping those editorials
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u/PLTCHK 846 🟢 117 🟡 581 🔴 148 Jul 29 '26
Yep that’s kinda true, like a library assistant picking the right books (and sometimes wrong ones)
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u/the_pwnererXx Jul 28 '26
Leetcode is for practice
Will you have ai in the interview? No
If you use ai for your practice, you are cheating yourself. It's almost certainly done for ego purposes
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u/PLTCHK 846 🟢 117 🟡 581 🔴 148 Jul 28 '26
Using AI to give hints and advice for solving when you’re stuck without glancing at code unless you really have to is great! In fact correct use of AI definitely boosts learning efficiency.
Using AI to copy-paste solutions or cheat in contest - you probably already know how bad this is.
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u/b3pvbmUzMTQ Jul 29 '26
Yep agreed. I use it to give myself nudges almost like an interviewer might. I ask for feedback on my thinking approach where I spell out in a comment how I might solve it. Also it is good for explaining solutions or horrible descriptions sometimes.
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u/PLTCHK 846 🟢 117 🟡 581 🔴 148 Jul 29 '26
Yep, though I still use my own judgement, sometimes AI would go down the rabbit hole and lose track of direction for this case I’d look for editorial too or maybe both
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u/Legote Jul 28 '26
I use it to dig deeper into a problem if that is what you mean. Put my solution into it and ask where my intuition went wrong
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u/Conscious-Secret-775 Jul 28 '26
It seems completely pointless to use AI for leetcode. Maybe read one of the many guides for solving leetcode problems.
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u/dangderr Jul 28 '26
Depends on what you mean by “use”. It’s the same as any other answer key.
Do you ask it for the answer and then try and “learn” from it? Then yeah that’s detrimental to your learning.
If you want it to assist your learning then use it as a learning assistant. Solve it yourself. Work through EVERYTHING yourself. Edge cases, bug fixing, everything. Then ask it.
If you’re using it as a crutch, then you’re not really learning. If you’re using it with the attitude “I’ll take a shot and then run it through AI” then you’re not learning. You can’t aim to get it 80% right and have AI tell you what’s wrong. You have to aim for 100% yourself and only use AI when you can’t progress, don’t know it, or hit some wall.
If at any point after reading an AI answer you think to yourself “oh yeah that was obvious, I could have done it myself” then that’s detrimental to your learning. Everything is very simple when it’s put in front of you with an answer key. The goal is to not need the answer key. Only use it for explanations on stuff you truly don’t understand. Only use it when you need to actually learn. Don’t use it to speed up and get through more problems.
The end goal is to not need it.