The rise of AI coding assistants has transformed software development. Tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Claude have become indispensable parts of many developers’ workflows, offering everything from code completion to architectural advice. But as these tools become more sophisticated, a concerning trend has emerged: developers who can architect complex systems with AI assistance but struggle to write basic code without it.

While AI is a powerful tool for developers, relying on it for core work can be detrimental to interview success and, more importantly, to your growth as an engineer.

The Reality Check: Live Coding Interviews

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: interviewers can tell. When you’re in a live coding environment, the difference between someone who codes fluently and someone who depends on AI becomes immediately apparent. Interviewers often use live coding environments specifically because they can observe not just what you produce, but how you produce it.

They notice the hesitation when you need to write a basic loop. They see the uncertainty in your syntax. They observe whether you’re thinking through the problem or trying to remember what your AI assistant usually generates for you. You’ve been coding with AI’s fingers on the keyboard, not your own, and it shows.

The Syntax Amnesia Problem

One of the most startling developments in recent years is the number of senior-level engineers who struggle with fundamental syntax when stripped of their AI tools. These aren’t junior developers or bootcamp graduates—they’re experienced professionals who have somehow externalized their basic knowledge to AI.

Can you write a for loop in your primary language from memory? Can you define a class with proper syntax? Can you implement a basic array manipulation without looking it up? These aren’t trick questions—they’re fundamental building blocks that every developer should have internalized.

If you claim to be an expert in a language, you must know and have memorized its basic syntax. This isn’t about gatekeeping or resisting new tools. It’s about maintaining the foundation that makes you effective when those tools aren’t available—and they won’t always be.

The Right Way to Use AI

This doesn’t mean you should abandon AI tools. The key is understanding how to use them productively rather than as a crutch:

Use AI to quiz yourself. Have it generate practice problems. Ask it to review your code and suggest improvements. Use it as a sparring partner to deepen your understanding.

Use AI to find bugs. When you’re stuck on a subtle issue, AI can be an excellent debugging companion, offering fresh perspectives on problems you’ve been staring at too long.

Use AI to help with projects. For boilerplate, for exploring new libraries, for understanding documentation—AI excels at these supportive tasks.

But do not use it for mass code generation. If AI is writing most of your code, you’re not learning. You’re not building the muscle memory that makes you fluent. You’re not developing the problem-solving intuition that separates good developers from great ones.

Put in the Reps

There’s no shortcut here. Just as you can’t become a concert pianist by watching YouTube videos of performances, you can’t become a skilled developer without writing thousands of lines of code yourself. You need the reps.

This means:

The Balance

The goal isn’t to reject AI—it’s to use it wisely. Think of AI as a power tool: incredibly useful in the right situations, but you still need to know how to use hand tools. A carpenter who can only work with power tools isn’t much of a carpenter. Similarly, a developer who can only work with AI assistance isn’t much of a developer.

Use AI to amplify your skills, not replace them. Let it handle the tedious parts so you can focus on the interesting problems. But never let it do the thinking for you, and never let it write so much code that you stop understanding what you’re building.

Conclusion

The developers who will thrive in the age of AI aren’t the ones who use it most—they’re the ones who use it best. They’re fluent in their craft with or without assistance. They know their syntax cold. They’ve put in the reps. And when they sit down for that live coding interview, or face a production bug at 2 AM without their tools, they’re ready.

Don’t let AI make you a worse developer. Use it to become a better one.