Developers vs AI: A Holiday Reflection — What Kind of Developer Do You Want to Be?

December is a strange month for developers.

Deadlines slow down.

Slack goes quiet.

Pull requests wait a little longer than usual.

And for once, instead of learning the next framework or chasing the next productivity hack, we get something rare:

space to think.

In 2025, AI didn’t just enter our workflow — it became the default.

Not a tool we “try”, but the first thing we reach for.

So before we step into 2026, I want to pause and ask a simpler, more uncomfortable question:

What kind of developer do you want to be in an AI-first world?

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2025 Was the Year AI Became Invisible

At the beginning of the year, AI was still something we talked about.

By the end of it, it became infrastructure.

We no longer say:

“Let me try AI for this.”

We say:

“Why wouldn’t I use AI?”

It writes boilerplate.

It explains errors.

It generates tests, docs, configs, even architecture suggestions.

And slowly, quietly, it blended into our thinking process.

That’s not necessarily bad — but it is important.

Because when something becomes invisible, it also becomes unquestioned.

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AI Is a Mirror (Not a Brain)

Here’s something I didn’t expect:

The more I used AI, the more it reflected me back at myself.

• If I understood the problem clearly → the AI helped a lot
• If I was vague → the AI gave vague, shallow answers
• If I didn’t know what I wanted → it confidently hallucinated

AI didn’t replace thinking.

It exposed the absence of it.

It became obvious when I was:

• asking good questions
• or just looking for shortcuts

In that sense, AI isn’t making developers better or worse.

It’s amplifying who we already are.

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Two Paths Developers Are Taking Going Into 2026

By the end of 2025, two very different relationships with AI became clear.

1️⃣ The Prompt Consumer

• Asks first, thinks later
• Copies answers quickly
• Trusts output because it “looks right”
• Moves fast — but shallow

This developer is productive… until something breaks.

Then everything slows down.

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2️⃣ The Thinking Partner User

• Thinks first, asks second
• Uses AI to challenge ideas, not replace them
• Reviews everything
• Treats AI like a junior teammate

This developer doesn’t move as fast — but moves with confidence.

The difference isn’t intelligence.

It’s intentionality.

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The Quiet Risk We Rarely Talk About

Here’s the uncomfortable part.

When AI always gives you:

• the regex
• the query
• the edge-case handling
• the explanation

You slowly stop building technical confidence.

Not skill — confidence.

That inner voice that says:

“I know how this system behaves.”

And without that confidence:

• debugging becomes scary
• architectural decisions feel risky
• leadership feels heavier

AI doesn’t take this away directly.

We give it away by never practicing without it.

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Some Questions Worth Asking Before 2026

This isn’t a checklist.

Just a few honest questions to sit with:

• When was the last time I solved something without AI?
• Do I understand my own codebase — or just maintain it?
• Am I faster… or just less involved?
• Could I explain my last major decision to another developer?
• If AI was gone for a week — would I panic?

No judgment.

Just awareness.

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AI Isn’t Stealing the Craft — It’s Raising the Bar

Here’s the good news.

AI didn’t make development less human.

It made the human parts more valuable.

Things like:

• systems thinking
• judgment
• communication
• responsibility
• understanding trade-offs

Typing code matters less.

Thinking clearly matters more.

And heading into 2026, that distinction will matter even more.

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A Holiday Thought to Carry Forward

As we move into 2026, I don’t think the question is:

“Will AI replace developers?”

The better question is:

“What kind of developer am I becoming alongside AI?”

Because AI will follow your lead.

Not the other way around.

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🎄

Thanks for reading — I’m Marxon, a web developer exploring how AI reshapes the way we build, manage, and think about technology.

If you enjoyed this reflection, follow me here on dev.to

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Let’s keep building — thoughtfully. 🚀