# Chatting with an AI Won't Make You a Top Programmer

DevFeed: [Chatting with an AI Won't Make You a Top Programmer](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/chatting-with-an-ai-won-t-make-you-a-top-programmer-29413.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://lemire.me/blog/2026/06/21/chatting-with-ai-wont-make-you-a-top-programmer/>)

Author: Daniel Lemire

Published: 2026-06-21T17:51:16Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Daniel Lemire](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/daniel-lemire.md>)

Topics: [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>), [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [Tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tooling.md>)

Tags: [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [essay](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/essay.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tooling.md>), [typescript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/typescript.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion argues that chatting with AI will not by itself make someone a top programmer. Reading and writing code develops deeper understanding, and future tools should help engineers understand code rather than only generate it.

## Source excerpt

When I was a kid, most people did not know how to type. We took typing class. The final exam was a speed test: words per minute. Today, you will not impress anyone by saying you can type. In fact, cursive writing is fading. Kids increasingly cannot read or write it. We type constantly. We ... Continue reading Chatting with an AI Won't Make You a Top Programmer