Developers from major tech companies are expressing disappointment with the use of artificial intelligence in programming, citing a loss of skills. This was reported by 404media.

Coders claim that AI-generated code often contains errors, and checking and correcting it takes longer than writing from scratch.

“We are forced to use AI agents for large-scale changes across the entire codebase. Assessing the quality and security of such a volume is simply impossible, especially considering that hundreds of programmers are doing the same thing,” said a UX designer from a tech company.

An expert added that the team is accumulating a “mountain of technical debt” that will be impossible to untangle when the models become prohibitively expensive.

Tech company leaders are actively reporting the share of code generated by AI:

  • In April, Google reported that 75% of its code is AI-generated;
  • In 2025, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that the figure is 30%;
  • At Anthropic, it’s 90%;
  • Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg predicted that within 12-18 months, neural networks will write most of the code that improves AI itself.

Amid this, the industry is experiencing mass layoffs, with companies citing automation and cost optimization as reasons.

No Boost in Productivity

According to 404media, the “huge leap in productivity provided by artificial intelligence” has not led to an increase in the quantity or quality of products.

Developers deny the benefits of AI in their work, yet they are compelled to integrate it into their processes.

“Using LLMs in one form or another is a mandatory requirement. Its use is part of the performance evaluation criteria. We are literally inundated with AI tools, and the response to any problem is to ‘try artificial intelligence first’,” said a programmer from one of the FAANG companies.

Since performance evaluations are tied to technology adoption, most developers use AI just to check a box.

An engineer from a fintech company mentioned that using LLMs is not mandatory but is encouraged: developers are given access to Cursor.

A programmer from a small web design firm emphasized that AI assistants in IDEs have not improved productivity—code contains errors, and every line must be double-checked.

“Another developer works with me on a contract basis. He generates huge volumes of code, leaving me with over 1,000 lines of pull requests to review, which takes an enormous amount of time. As a result, I feel more exhausted and burnt out than ever in my life,” said the engineer.

A coder from the fintech sector added that AI can generate more code than the team can check or explain.

“As a result, you either discard it or send it off, fearing it may contain elements of very low quality,” he explained.

AI is Useful, Sometimes

Developers acknowledge that AI is effective for certain tasks, such as quickly assembling prototypes and implementing solutions in unfamiliar areas.

One engineer noted that LLMs are helpful when dealing with large volumes of information: they find where requests are processed on the server, summarize data from logs, and assist in searching documentation for code changes.

Skill Degradation

As AI becomes more integrated into workflows, developers are losing skills they have developed over the years. Researchers refer to this phenomenon as “cognitive debt” or “cognitive atrophy.”

A programmer from a small web design company shared that he once couldn’t remember how to implement an API in Laravel, which “scared him to death.”

“It’s like when mobile phones came along and we stopped memorizing numbers. For me, it has turned into outsourcing the thought process. My critical thinking and ability to sit down and contemplate a problem or project have deteriorated,” commented a software developer in finance.

AI is Here to Stay

Most engineers agree that large language models will remain and continue to play a role in programming. The question is how the industry will cope with the current obsession of management with this technology, especially regarding the training of new generations of developers.

“We are hiring junior programmers who rely on AI to perform the simplest tasks. They lack the knowledge or experience to understand when AI-generated results contain errors or are ineffective,” said a UX designer.

It’s worth noting that in August 2025, Coinbase fired programmers who refused to use artificial intelligence in their work.