There was a time when Stack Overflow was my go-to for everything. If I hit a bug, I’d open 5–10 tabs, scan through answers, and hope someone had faced the same issue. It was the default routine for every developer I knew.
But things have changed.
These days, I hardly visit Stack Overflow at all. That’s not because I suddenly became a coding wizard. It’s because I’ve started using AI tools — specifically GitHub Copilot in VSCode, and ChatGPT — as my coding companions.
And they’ve completely changed the way I write and debug code.
🚀 Getting Started with Copilot
I started experimenting with GitHub Copilot out of curiosity. It was marketed as “your AI pair programmer” — and I thought, sure, let’s give it a shot.
To my surprise, it quickly went from a novelty to an essential part of my daily workflow.
Here’s what I found myself doing:
- Typing comments instead of code.
I’d write something like// create a REST API using Express— and boom, Copilot would write the boilerplate. - Filling in loops, conditionals, function bodies.
Copilot often completed the code exactly how I intended. It was like it read my mind. - Learning from suggestions.
When I wasn’t sure how a method or library worked, Copilot would often show me the right syntax and structure without needing to Google it.
It wasn’t perfect, of course — but it saved me time and mental energy. And over time, I realized I was opening Stack Overflow less and less.
ChatGPT: The Debugging Partner I Didn’t Know I Needed
Now, while Copilot helps with writing code, ChatGPT has become my go-to for understanding and fixing code.
Whenever I ran into an error or got stuck, I’d paste the code into ChatGPT and say something like:
“This code is throwing a null pointer exception. Can you help me fix it?”
And it would usually respond with a detailed explanation, pointing out exactly what’s wrong and how to fix it — often including alternative approaches or best practices.
Some ways I’ve used ChatGPT:
- Diagnosing runtime errors in Python, JavaScript, and even Flutter.
- Refactoring messy functions.
- Writing optimized SQL queries.
- Getting clarification on concepts instead of digging through docs.
It felt like having a super-patient senior dev sitting next to me, available 24/7.
Why I Don’t Rely on Stack Overflow Anymore
It’s not that Stack Overflow isn’t helpful — it still has tons of valuable content. But here’s why I’ve mostly moved on:
- Too much noise. Often, the top-voted answer doesn’t fit my exact problem.
- Outdated solutions. Some answers are years old and don’t work with modern versions of tools.
- Time-consuming. It takes longer to search, open multiple tabs, and piece together solutions.
AI tools just feel faster and more tailored.
When AI Gets It Wrong (Because It Does)
Let’s be real — these AI tools aren’t magic.
Sometimes Copilot suggests the wrong logic. Sometimes ChatGPT confidently gives a wrong answer. That’s why I always test everything thoroughly. AI is a tool — not a substitute for understanding your own code.
But most of the time, even the “wrong” answers help me get to the right one faster.
The New Normal: Coding With AI
The way I see it, we’re entering a new era of software development. It’s not about humans versus AI — it’s about humans working with AI.
I still write code. But now, I spend more time:
- Designing better solutions.
- Thinking through logic.
- Writing cleaner, more structured code — faster.
AI takes care of the boring stuff. I stay focused on the creative and complex parts.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a developer and you haven’t tried tools like Copilot or ChatGPT yet, I highly recommend giving them a shot. They’ve made me more productive, more confident, and honestly — they’ve made coding fun again.
I don’t miss digging through ancient Stack Overflow threads.
AI writes my code now.
I guide it, refine it, and build more with it.
And I’m not turning back.
Have you tried coding with AI yet?
Feel free to drop a comment or message — I’d love to hear how it’s changed (or challenged) your workflow too.