I really agree on this point: "The code gets written faster, but you still need time to test if it works, absorb the finished product, ponder future directions, and decide on what to build next. None of these tasks have doubled in speed, but doing them more often is a new, different kind of mental work." - I have also noticed this. I am an experienced developer, I use AI and still its taking me time to build a "fairly simple website". This is because there are so many things to consider other than purely writing code. Where to put the code, how to reuse parts of code to make everything more efficient, what features to put where on the site to drive engagement etc. AI really helps me get things done but it isn't doing all these things for me. Not by a long way.
I really agree on this point: "The code gets written faster, but you still need time to test if it works, absorb the finished product, ponder future directions, and decide on what to build next. None of these tasks have doubled in speed, but doing them more often is a new, different kind of mental work." - I have also noticed this. I am an experienced developer, I use AI and still its taking me time to build a "fairly simple website". This is because there are so many things to consider other than purely writing code. Where to put the code, how to reuse parts of code to make everything more efficient, what features to put where on the site to drive engagement etc. AI really helps me get things done but it isn't doing all these things for me. Not by a long way.