An Experienced C Programmer Tries AI Agents (danielchasehooper.com)

An experienced C programmer who has traditionally viewed AI as unhelpful for coding has recently tested new “AI Code agents” like Claude Code and Codex to assess their impact on productivity. After conducting various tasks, he found that while these agents may not produce code as adeptly as experienced developers, they significantly reduce time spent on tedious and straightforward tasks—transforming a four-hour project into just 30 minutes with AI assistance. The agents excelled in simplifying complex debugging processes and facilitating project-wide edits, proving especially useful for analysis and overcoming procrastination. This shift highlights the growing importance of AI in software development, as the programmer emphasizes that AI agents should be viewed as collaborative tools rather than replacements for skilled developers. Despite their limitations in generating optimal code, they can enhance productivity by handling repetitive tasks and augmenting the programmer's workflow. The experience suggests that integrating AI agents into development can help coders focus more on creative and critical aspects of programming, ultimately leading to a more efficient and effective development process.