Supervising the Idea Factory: My Year of 60 Personal Projects (mostlymaths.net)

In 2024, an enthusiastic developer accomplished an impressive feat by launching 60 personal projects, significantly bolstered by the aid of large language models (LLMs). Throughout the year, the developer leveraged LLMs as advanced text editors, engaging them primarily for coding support rather than as primary creators. The projects varied widely, with 28 games spanning cognitive challenges, wordplay, and arcade styles, as well as apps, Chrome extensions, and Obsidian plugins. All of these innovative creations ranged from backendless progressive web apps to personalized tools aimed at addressing specific user needs. This surge in productivity highlights a growing trend in the AI/ML community where developers harness LLMs for creative and practical applications. While the experience of managing LLM-created projects was largely positive, the developer noted a downside: over-reliance on AI can lead to cognitive sluggishness and complicate problem-solving skills. Going forward, the developer aims to focus on more hands-on coding and creativity, reducing LLM dependency. This shift suggests a need for balance between utilizing advanced AI tools and maintaining one’s own programming skills, an important consideration as AI continues to integrate deeper into development workflows.