Cheaper paper gave Renaissance artists more room to experiment. AI agents could do the same for software, if developers preserve enough mechanical and software sympathy to judge what agents produce.

Cheaper paper enabled Renaissance artists to experiment more freely, advancing art dramatically. AI agents may create a similar shift in software development by making it cheaper to sketch architectures and build prototypes. However, this comes with a risk: as agents write more code, developers may lose 'mechanical sympathy' — deep understanding of how systems work. The tradeoff is that developers might understand individual implementations less while gaining broader exposure to the solution space. The recommended approach is to preserve enough understanding to evaluate agent output, using agents to explore options rather than fully delegating comprehension. Some tasks like cross-cutting refactors are net positives with agents, while others risk eroding system understanding.

The Renaissance, Mechanical Sympathy, and AI Agents

<p>I don’t know why but people these days like it fast. Whereas I feel like I am more consistent when I go slow. AI as a mentor that teaches me best practices and why a framework or language was built is a gem in today’s modern software engineering. It automatically reduces your search time and directly leads you to understanding and practicing.</p>
<p>Sure this is slow but at least for me this is sure progress. I feel like this is what’s missing for most devs today. I see “very similar” looking projects, portfolios, and I immediately know it was just prompted (I have nothing against it though). But the idea the I knew from the get go is a sign that people are catching up and the divide from coders and engineers are becoming much more distinct.</p>
