This piece operates in a constructive mode, blending technical reflection with philosophical inquiry about AI’s role in software development. The strongest version of its narrative—its steelman—is that human constraints (time, cognitive load) drive better engineering through abstraction, while AI, unburdened by these limits, risks creating bloated, unsustainable systems. The author’s personal anecdote about the playlist generator serves as a microcosm of this tension: human frustration leads to ...