Developer explains why AI-generated code no longer feels like a threat

A software developer writing for DEV Community reflects on how AI coding tools transformed his workflow between late 2024 and mid-2025, describing three distinct capability jumps during that period. He notes that by November 2025, AI models began producing code close enough to correct that editing it became cheaper than writing from scratch. A further leap early this year expanded the scope of projects he could realistically tackle, including work he had considered impossible for over a decade. By summer, the combination of improved models, a robust CI/CD pipeline, and a well-structured codebase meant the AI was producing code he considers better than what he would have written himself. He argues that reduced code-reading is not negligence but a rational shift in trust — one only valid, he stresses, when backed by thorough automated testing and verification.