# Agentic Skill Decay

DevFeed: [Agentic Skill Decay](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/agentic-skill-decay-18046.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://addyo.substack.com/p/agentic-skill-decay>)

Author: Addy Osmani

Published: 2026-08-31T14:30:37Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Elevate](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/elevate.md>)

Topics: [Learning](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/learning.md>), [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>)

Tags: [agentic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic.md>), [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [learning](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/learning.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that coding agents can complete tasks while bypassing the deliberate practice that builds expertise and judgment. It recommends forming hypotheses, understanding domains, reading diffs, debugging, reviewing code, and deliberately practicing decision-making, specification, steering, and verification.

## Source excerpt

Agents can finish the task without teaching you anything. Building expertise now has to be deliberate.