Practice without A

It helps build careful security, privacy, and performance habits

- MAMIDALA JAGADESH KUMAR

India’s software sector leads global delivery. That edge depends on teams that move fast and still think clearly.

Here is how Indian teams can use AI assistants and still build independent, resilient engineers. A randomised controlled study by GitHub and collaborators found a clear speed gain.

Developers using Copilot finished a real web task about 55 per cent faster than those without it. The trial timed how long it took to set up a basic web server. Participants did it faster with the artificial intelligence (Al) assistant. Other trials and company tests also saw quicker code merges and better focus. Taken together, the results point to a pattern. When tools handle routine setup, work speeds up, and people feel more motivated.

However, speed alone does not provide a complete picture. A controlled security experiment showed a safety gap. Trained programmers using an AI helper wrote less safe code across many tasks, even as their confidence rose.

‘This pattern is known as automation bias. Fast help can hide new risks. Checks and protections must match how serious the task is.

Researchers have also noticed bigger shifts in how programmers learn. An analysis in PNAS Nexus tracked the early months after large language models became public. Compared to forums where the models were limited or less effective, Stack Overflow Q&A decreased by approximately 25 per cent.

‘The researchers say many people started asking questions in private chats instead. When less help stays in public view, beginners find fewer open guides. Future Al systems also receive poorer training data. Over time, that can hurt the craft of programming.