I've been hearing a lot about how AI can significantly boost productivity for developers, with claims of 10x, 20x, or even 30x increases in efficiency. However, I'm really curious if anyone can share their actual experiences with using LLMs (large language models) in their day-to-day development work. Have you found them to really enhance your productivity, or do you think the reality is more nuanced? Personally, I feel like they might help with certain tasks, but I don't see a massive boost in speed or efficiency. I'd love to hear about specific problems you've encountered and how LLMs helped you resolve them. Looking for real examples rather than marketing hype!
5 Answers
I've had some success using AI to write one-off scripts or streamline small projects. There were moments where the AI saved me a ton of time, like turning an election data text file into CSVs that would have taken me forever. I guess it depends on the task—you can get speed boosts, but they might not be the 10x everyone talks about.
For me, the 10x boost might be an exaggeration. It seems to apply better to those handling smaller, repetitive tasks. When I run into complex issues, it doesn't really speed things up, just makes it easier to manage boilerplate code and check for small mistakes. Sure, sometimes it saves a bit of time, but not consistently enough to justify the hype, especially for seasoned developers.
Exactly! The real gains sometimes feel more like 2-3x when I use it for script generation, but I’ve found it mostly useful for brainstorming and handling minor tasks.
Honestly, I've seen very little 10x boost in my work. In fact, I find myself having to explain every little detail to the AI just to get an accurate result. It feels like I’m putting in more effort to communicate my ideas than if I tackled the task myself. But I can understand the appeal for simple tasks where you just need quick outputs.
It's like using AI as a scribe, which can be useful, but I worry about relying on it for important code.
I had a pretty mixed experience. Once, my subordinate used AI to draft a document that I eventually had to make sense of, and I felt like I only got a 0.5x boost. It still would've been faster to just write it myself!
Totally get that! Most of the time, I find it's still quicker to tackle things on my own, rather than waiting for the LLM to get it right after several iterations.
I used AI to check a lot of my function documentation and suggest improvements. In about 10 minutes, it found dozens of changes I wouldn't have noticed on my own. I’d say that saved me a whole day of tedious work! My code base ended up much cleaner, so it's all about how you integrate it into your workflow.
That sounds awesome! Can you share what programming language you're using? I feel like the benefits vary a lot by tech stack.
That’s a great example! I feel like AI shines in less complex tasks or initial stages of projects but falls short when dealing with large, intricate systems.