Will AI Replace You, or Will People Who Know How to Use AI Replace You?

Hi there, while you’re pondering that question (if you are), I want to share my exciting journey of using AI to build my personal portfolio. Instead of coding from scratch for weeks, I leveraged the power of AI to complete this website in just a few days.

Why I Decided to Use AI

The truth is, I had been procrastinating on creating my personal portfolio for too long. The reason? Perfectionism paralysis - a common affliction among developers who want everything to be perfect from the start. But then I realized, instead of endless hesitation, why not fire up my computer and craft a few simple (yet somewhat elaborate) prompts?

The Benefits I Expected:

  • Speed: No debate here - AI really helped me save a tremendous amount of time, from ideation to actually typing out each line of code (or was it prompts?)
  • Creative Ideas: Honestly, using AI is so much fun! It can suggest approaches I never would have thought of.
  • Learning: Instead of sitting around waiting for AI to do everything, I actively examine what AI produces and ask myself WHY. That’s how I use AI without being led by the nose like leading a cow through a field. Because the architect is the one who tells the builder what needs to be done (and this builder probably has a PhD-level skillset).

Part 1: Ideation and Design with AI

Step 1: Brainstorming with ChatGPT

I started by asking AI about current portfolio design trends:

Prompt: "I want to create a portfolio website for a full-stack developer.
Suggest 5 modern and unique design concepts,
along with suitable color schemes and typography."

Result: AI provided excellent ideas, from minimalist design to interactive 3D elements. I chose the “Dark mode with neon accents” concept because it’s both trendy and fits my personality.

Step 2: Creating Wireframes and Mockups

// AI helped me create the basic structure
const portfolioSections = {
  hero: "Self-introduction with animation",
  about: "Story telling about my journey",
  skills: "Interactive skill chart",
  projects: "Project showcase with case studies",
  blog: "Knowledge sharing space",
  contact: "Contact form with validation",
};

Part 2: Choosing Tech Stack with AI Consultation

Instead of spending time researching, I asked AI:

Prompt: "Compare Next.js vs Gatsby vs Nuxt.js for creating a portfolio.
I need good SEO, high performance, and easy maintenance.
Please recommend with specific reasons."

Final Result:

  • Frontend: Next.js 14 with App Router
  • Styling: Tailwind CSS + Framer Motion
  • Content: MDX for blog posts
  • Deployment: Vercel
  • Analytics: Google Analytics 4

Part 3: Development Process with AI

Workflow I Applied:

  1. Planning: Ask AI about best practices and architecture
  2. Coding: Use AI to generate boilerplate code
  3. Debugging: AI helps find and fix bugs quickly
  4. Optimization: AI suggests ways to optimize performance
  5. Testing: Generate test cases and validation logic

Example of How I Debug with AI:

Me: "This component is re-rendering unnecessarily, how to optimize?"

AI: "There are several ways to optimize:
1. Use React.memo() for the component
2. Use useMemo() and useCallback() for expensive operations
3. Separate state from parent component
Would you like me to show specific code?"

Part 4: Challenges and Solutions

Challenge 1: AI Code Isn’t Perfect

Problem: AI-generated code sometimes has bugs or isn’t optimized
Solution: Always review and test thoroughly, treat AI like a junior developer

Challenge 2: Over-reliance on AI

Problem: Sometimes I became too dependent on AI and forgot to think independently
Solution: Set a rule to only use AI for repetitive tasks or when truly stuck

Challenge 3: Design Consistency

Problem: AI can suggest inconsistent styles
Solution: Create a clear design system and stick with it

Part 5: Lessons Learned Using AI

🎯 Lesson 1: AI is a Tool, Not a Magic Wand

AI is powerful but still needs human intervention. I learned how to:

  • Ask specific and clear questions
  • Verify everything AI generates
  • Combine AI suggestions with personal experience

🚀 Lesson 2: Significant Productivity Boost

Compared to traditional methods:

  • Before: 3-4 weeks to complete
  • With AI: 1 week for MVP, 2 weeks to polish

🧠 Lesson 3: New Learning Curve

Instead of learning a new framework, now I have to learn how to:

  • Communicate effectively with AI
  • Prompt engineering
  • Quality control for AI output

Part 6: Specific Workflow I Recommend

Daily Routine with AI:

## Morning (Planning phase)

- [ ] Review tasks for the day
- [ ] Ask AI for implementation approach
- [ ] Get code structure suggestions

## Afternoon (Development phase)

- [ ] Use AI for boilerplate generation
- [ ] Code review with AI
- [ ] Debug issues with AI assistance

## Evening (Polish phase)

- [ ] AI-assisted code optimization
- [ ] Generate documentation
- [ ] Plan next day tasks

AI Tools I Use:

  1. ChatGPT-4: General coding and problem solving
  2. Claude: Code review and documentation
  3. GitHub Copilot: Real-time coding assistance
  4. v0.dev: UI component generation
  5. Midjourney: Creating assets and inspiration

Conclusion

After this journey, I can confidently say that AI has completely changed how I approach a project. Instead of starting from a blank page, I have a smart partner to brainstorm, code, and debug with.

Key Takeaways:

✅ AI increases productivity 3-4x
✅ Quality code still needs human review
✅ New learning curve but worth it
✅ The future of development is human + AI collaboration

Final Advice:

Don’t be afraid that AI will replace you. Instead, learn how to use AI to become a better developer. Those who know how to leverage AI will have a significant competitive advantage in the future.

Thank you for reading this far! If you have questions about using AI in development, please comment below or contact me. I’m very happy to share experiences and learn from the community!

P.S.: This blog post was also written with AI assistance! 😉