AI makes development faster, but relying on it too much can weaken our fundamentals. I learned this the hard way when I forgot how to write a basic SQL query during a meeting. Here’s what that moment taught me.
I never expected that AI would help me so much that I’d forget something I used to love.
When I first got into development, I fell in love with backend technologies—especially SQL. In the beginning, writing SQL felt like discovering a new world. I enjoyed crafting queries, exploring how data worked, and solving problems on platforms like LeetCode and Codewars. After a while, I felt confident. SQL became second nature.
But when real projects and short deadlines arrived, my habits changed.
Instead of writing my own queries—especially simple ones—I started asking AI to do it. “It’s faster,” I told myself. “I already know SQL anyway.”
Slowly, without realizing it, I developed a habit: Every time I needed SQL—simple or complex—I asked AI to write it for me. I didn’t think it would cost me anything.
I was wrong.
A few days ago, I was working with another developer on a project. During a meeting, he asked me to write a simple SQL query—a basic SELECT with a WHERE clause. Something I had written hundreds of times before.
But as I tried to write it, my mind went completely blank.
I stared at the screen, feeling my face warm up. I couldn’t remember the exact syntax. I couldn’t remember something that used to be automatic for me. My instinct was to open another window and ask AI for the answer.
In that moment, I realized the truth:
I had forgotten how to write SQL on my own.
It was embarrassing.
Not because it was difficult, but because it wasn’t. This was something I once mastered, something I enjoyed—and I had let it slip away without noticing.
Accepting that was hard.
I’m not against using AI in development. AI is an amazing tool, and it can make us faster and more efficient. But this experience taught me something important:
How you use AI matters more than the AI itself.
If we blindly copy code we don’t fully understand, we risk introducing bugs—or worse—into production. Mistakes like that can cost companies real money, and they can cost us our careers.
Thankfully, nothing bad happened in my case.
But the moment of shame was enough to wake me up.
Since that day, I’ve made a promise to myself:
AI should make us better—not weaker.
Don’t let AI do all the work for you.
If it does everything, then you have to ask yourself:
What is your contribution?
We grow as developers by understanding, practicing, and solving problems—not by copying answers.
AI is a tool.
But we’re the ones who need to stay sharp.