While I'm not completely oblivious about Python as I've read code in the language here and there and wrote some MicroPython, I can't say I'm a Python developer. With lot of what's happening on the AI space uses Python, I decided to brush up my Python skills and I've been going about it same way I've done multiple times in the past: get a good book on the language, and try it out on a simple project.

I believe AI is a big productivity booster for developers, from autocomplete functionality that allows writing code faster to agentic experiences where you don't write code at all. However, I found that, for learning a new language, the exact same thing that boosts productivity can slow you down.

The reason is that, when learning a language, practicing is a key aspect of the learning process. When writing my practice project with an AI autocomplete enabled, the autocomplete would kick in and finish the code I intented to write, which despite being correct, removed the opportunity for writing the code myself, preventing me from forgetting correct the syntax and patterns for the language and having to looking them up, or making errors and having to fix them. In general, AI prevented me from learning from my own mistakes.

Maybe, in the long term, with better and better agentic experiences, that won't matter and forgetting syntax won't be as relevant. For now, I'm disabling the AI autocomplete when practicing a new language.