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+visibility: public-edit
+---
+
+# AI rot
+
+## what happened
+
+AI rotting is such a thing — watch out for it. so easy to get sucked in, need to have breaks at like 10-minute intervals.
+
+## why it's a gotcha
+
+when you're deep in an AI-assisted coding session and things are breaking, your instinct is to keep prompting. "fix this." "try again." "what about this approach." hours pass. you haven't thought independently in a long time. your brain goes into passive consumption mode — you're not problem-solving anymore, you're just reacting to outputs. and when things are working, you feel productive, but you might not actually understand what was built.
+
+## the fix
+
+set a timer. every 10-15 minutes, step away from the screen for even 60 seconds. ask yourself: do i understand what just happened? can i explain this code without looking at it? if not, you're rotting. especially when things are breaking — that's when you most need to step away and think, not keep prompting.
+
+## see also
+
+- [[ai-assisted-imposter-syndrome]] — the confidence erosion that follows AI rot
+- [[test-demo-before-presenting]] — AI-generated code needs extra testing
+- [[esp32-debugging-saga]] — wrong assumptions compound, whether human or AI-generated
+- [[comparison-as-motivation]] — AI rot feeds "am i even good?" spirals
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