# How has AI changed the way you build software, and where is it just hype?

URL: https://wonderful.so/blog/ai-changed-development
Markdown URL: https://wonderful.so/blog/ai-changed-development.md
Content type: Question and answer
Published: 2026-03-18
Updated: 2026-03-18
Author: Rulian at Wonderful
Asked by: Anonymous
Tags: Building

## Question

How has AI changed the way you build software, and where is it just hype?

## Answer

I don't think AI in software development is hype. For me, it's been a complete game changer.

The way I describe it is this: before AI, even with all the tools we had, going back to coding the way we used to feels like using primitive tools in a world where power tools exist.

## The Speed Difference

If I had to build a product today without agentic coding, I could. I could sit down, write all the code, and build a solid product in a week or two. With AI, I can build that same product, with the same code and architecture, in an hour or two.

It feels wasteful now to not use it.

## Experience Matters

I'm lucky that I spent twenty years writing code without AI. That means I can guide it. I know what I want, I know how it should be structured, and I know what the tradeoffs are.

AI is my hands, not my brain. I'm not asking it "what should I build" or "what stack should I use." I'm telling it exactly that.

It just types faster than I do, and it can multitask in ways I can't. So no, I don't see a world where I go back.