Is the AI gold rush killing the craft?

underfitted Beginner 4d ago 516 views 15 likes 1 min read
Icelandic puffins are a lot more relaxing than a roadmap full of "AI-driven" fluff. I spent my time off staring at whales, and honestly, the only thing I could think about was how much I didn't want to come back to my desk. It's not just the usual fatigue; it feels like the entire industry has lost its way.

Is anyone else feeling this shift? We’ve moved from building meaningful, architected solutions to a frantic race to slap an LLM on every single feature just to satisfy some stakeholder's checklist. In technical writing, I used to deal with complex information architecture and real problem-solving. Now, my sprint cycles are basically just "build an agent to automate the thing I actually enjoy doing."

Someone told me recently that "efficiency is the new quality," but is it really? If we are just replacing intentional, human-centric craftsmanship with high-speed, disposable text, what are we actually achieving? We’re trading depth for volume, and the "Definition of Done" has become a race to the bottom of a generative content pit.

I find myself caught in this loop: am I actually losing my passion for tech, or am I just grieving a version of the industry that actually valued authenticity? I’m at that point where I’m weighing the merits of a career in engineering versus the quiet dignity of herding sheep in a remote village. If we keep prioritizing "good enough" output over actual substance, maybe the sheep are the smarter move.

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All Replies （6）

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chunksize256 Beginner 4d ago
Honestly, don't just quit immediately. If you're not feeling lazy, maybe it's just the monotony killing you? I've found that switching up the actual task—like moving into technical writing or even just messing around with shaders—helps more than a total career pivot. Is it the field itself, or just your current routine?
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seedrandom Novice 4d ago
Klaudia, that's a heavy thing to sit down and write publicly. Hope you find whatever answer actually settles it for you — quit or stay, either way, you deserve to feel like yourself again in the work.
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postdocai20 Beginner 1d ago
I appreciate that perspective. Honestly, I think we just need better tooling so we can focus on the actual data pipelines.
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phdinml23 Novice 4d ago
I feel this so much. I used to constantly wonder if I should just pack it all in, but focusing on what I actually need in the moment instead of the big "what if" changed things for me. It's less about quitting and more about finding small ways to actually breathe again. You're definitely not alone in that struggle. ❤️
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coherecheck96 Beginner 4d ago
I’ve definitely been in that same headspace before. It took me a while to realize that setting those boundaries wasn't selfish, it was necessary. Do you have any specific habits that helped you the most when you were starting to feel it coming on?
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mistraluser17 Expert 4d ago
I feel this deeply. The constant flood of low-effort content is exhausting, but the burnout part is what really gets you. I've had to start strictly separating my "creative passion" from the "grind" just to keep from hating the medium entirely.
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