My experiences with AI-assisted coding tools in 2026

Background

I wasn't a fan of AI coding assistants initially. I would just paste a code snippet into ChatGPT and ask it to fix small or trivial issues. I even tried Cursor, but didn't find it particularly useful at the time.

Things began to change earlier this year when I started using Copilot with more powerful models like CodeX and Claude. That's when it clicked—it's a game changer. It's an incredibly effective tool for rapid prototyping and quickly testing ideas.

That said, AI coding assistants can also be misleading. They can take you down a dead-end path if you are not careful, so you have to stay aware and critically evaluate what they produce.

These days, my workflow looks like this: I use Copilot to draft a feature, review the code myself, fix issues manually, test it, and then create a PR. After that, I use another agent to review the draft PR before sending it to my teammates. This idea of having multiple “eyes” on a feature is crucial.

Where is the future going?

AI agents will continue to get smarter and more autonomous. They will increasingly operate in an “autopilot” mode, handling tasks with minimal supervision while engineers guide and correct them.

However, there's still a fundamental layer of creativity that software engineers bring—something AI doesn't truly replicate. New ideas and original thinking will continue to come from humans. AI will amplify productivity, but it won't replace the need for human insight and innovation.