AIDHD - AI coding workflow as an exclusion machine#

I was recently diagnosed with an attention disorder with sustained attention issues, combined with planning and initiation difficulties. I favour quality over speed, which means it takes longer to do certain tasks, and the longer time spent on them increases fatigue exponentially.

For a while I thought my inability to stay interested and accomplish tasks others could do in minutes was a lack of determination or character, a personality flaw. Learning that my brain is objectively bad at them was a huge relief.

Unfortunately, reviewing code is among those difficult tasks, it demands a huge mental effort from me. I can write code for hours because I am the one doing it, and doing it delivers dopamine shots every few minutes, when I compile/refresh my page to see my changes. It keeps me focused and interested.

But code reviewing? It's such a drag to me. It's long, non-interactive, boring, and worst of all it requires sustained attention due to the multiple parameters you have to take into account. That's not something you can botch, and so it fries my brain. Any distraction is an opportunity to stop, which drags it even longer. It's a vicious cycle.

AI driven development, where the code is generated by the machine and reviewed by a human, will therefore never be compatible with my brain. If it becomes mandatory to work this way (as it is increasingly seems it will be), it will exclude not just me, but all other people with a similar neurodiversity.

For a technology who's supporters claim it is empowering people, I find this perspective ironic, even if unsurprising.