Do AI coding agents actually save time? Devs say work shifts to reviewing output
Bhanuprakash_1947 · reddit · 2026-09-26
A developer shares his confusion after trying AI coding agents: they can write code, fix bugs, generate tests, and edit multiple files, but he ends up spending significant time reviewing changes, understanding the agent's reasoning, and verifying nothing broke.
He asks the community three questions:
- Are you actually saving time, or is the work just shifting from coding to reviewing and managing AI output?
- What do you still prefer to code yourself?
The discussion hits the core debate around AI coding tools — the real trade-off between apparent speedups and hidden review overhead.
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