[swatcoder]

Traditionally, the alternative wasn't "SO answers", which are indeed dangerous in their own way -- it was to develop, and then maintain, a comprehensive and fluent understanding of the tools suitable to your profession.

GPT and SO can help you make a deadline today, and we all may use them now and then, but consistently relying on them steals essential opportunities for professional growth.

A journeyman woodworker who just asked somebody else to perform all his tricky jigsaw cuts is going to have a hard time developing the muscle memory and intuitions that mark mastery of the craft.

[fragmede]

A master carpenter that only uses hand tools is a master of their craft, and should be respected as such, but refusing to ever use power tools because of a moral objection to electricity would be seen as quite the eccentricity. Which, the Amish sell furniture, and it's really quite good, if niche, furniture.

[simonw]

I'd rather get to AI-assisted mastery of many more different crafts than limit myself to achieving mastery of just one single thing.