Embracing AI Tools. A Journey from Resistance to Understanding

There’s a quiet divide in the developer community right now, one that’s not always openly discussed. It’s the divide between those who lean into AI tools and those who resist them.

I’ve seen this resistance firsthand. Once, while showing off agentic mode in an AI tool that effortlessly implemented a feature in an app, I expected amazement. Instead, I sensed a bit of fear, almost as if the tool was more of a threat than a helper. That reaction stayed with me.

I get it, new technology can be intimidating, and it’s easy to dismiss it with a quick judgment. But I want to invite a more honest conversation. What if, instead of brushing off these tools, we explored them sincerely? What if we allowed ourselves to see both their strengths and their shortcomings? By being open minded and genuine in our approach, we can have meaningful discussions and truly understand where our resistance comes from. After all, it’s only through that honesty that we can grow together and make the best use of the tools at our disposal.

This post is inspired by an upcoming talk I’m giving with my friend Claudio on this very topic: how we as developers can move from skepticism to curiosity when it comes to AI. Leading up to the talk, I’ll be posting more reflections here, short essays, stories, and thoughts that I hope spark some insight, or at the very least, a bit of pause.

If you’ve ever felt hesitant, curious, or even conflicted about these tools, you’re not alone. Let’s figure it out together.

-Matt