The Lost Touch

One thing I missed pre-AI was the joy of talking to people, explaining things, and having things explained.

That interaction is slowly fading away. Now, anytime I am stuck, I just prompt my agent to explain. And in no time I get a comprehensive explanation, a spec, or a perfectly structured markdown document. Which is very useful and covers basically all the cases that any human could have easily missed, but it largely changes how we consume information.

I loved how people used to take time out of their workday to walk through a codebase, explain a problem they had faced, or share what had helped them understand, which can be anything. These weren't just answers, you were listening to the experiences and mistakes accumulated over time.

Before, understanding something meant having a conversation. You asked questions; the other person used to give answers, but it was different, it was through their own lens of learning and experiences. Sometimes it went off on tangents and added some personal context, and every conversation felt different depending on who you’re talking to.

Somehow these conversations were easier to remember.

Now everything feels a little rushed. We get the information we need and immediately move on to the next task.

Also, explaining things to other people was not only a conversation, but it also strengthened your own grasp on topics, as you need to double-check your assumptions. It was never a one-way exchange.

As more of us become increasingly self-sufficient with AI, a lot of that personal interaction is fading away. We can operate more independently than ever before.

There is no denying how powerful it is, we are moving fast in all aspects of software engineering. I could not even imagine it a few years back.

But somewhere in all this speed, we are slowly losing a small part that made working with others more enjoyable. The genuine joy of listening to someone talk enthusiastically about an experience, a problem they solved or something they learned along the way.

Maybe this human exchange is becoming a lost touch.