I found that github copilot helped my productivity initially, but it quickly became the most annoying pair programmer possible, interrupting my thought process constantly. I also found myself waiting for the auto-completion, which slowed me down. The suggestions were often extremely wrong, so overall it became negative value for me and I only use it for very repetitive tasks. Some of the surveys I've seen are extremely biased since they ask how much it has improved my productivity, with no option for it hurting my productivity or happiness. I currently use it to clear blockers faster when learning a new language or framework. It allows me to get moving faster, get some early wins, then take a step back to review the documentation and best practices. That last step is critical since some of the things I learn from genai are wrong/harmful, and also because I am not going to remember the things that I "learned" unless I put some work into it. It's also very helpful for troubleshooting issues since I can have a conversation with it, though I've had it gaslight me many times. The note about "how developers think" is interesting. I've found that I am less patient after I've used genai, which affects the way I approach problem solving even when I am not using genai. I'm concerned that it will lead to lower critical thinking while also adding to tech debt.

That’s honestly something I hadn’t thought of before – that of course, by being right there where you are working, it could be interrupting your natural brainstorms. And wow. Brilliant thoughts Chris. @laura507 @nicolefv not being great with data just with analyzing it, I hadn’t really thought before about how most studies are looking for productivity gains not losses. Although DORA is measuring that loss