Axios · Agentic AI · OpenAI · Claude Code · Codex · Open Source · Axios
"They operate like slot machines": AI agents are scrambling power users' brains
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A growing number of software developers say AI coding tools are frying their brains.
Key facts
- AI developer and blogger Simon Willison, who has 25 years of pre-AI coding experience, said on " Lenny's Podcast ": "There is a limit on human cognition, in how much you can hold in your head at one
- Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan has called his experience grinding with coding tools "cyber psychosis" and posted in January that he "stayed up 19 hours yesterday and didn't sleep til 5AM
- Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence research scientist and assistant professor at Carnegie Mellon University Tim Dettmers says peak productivity comes from working with as many agents
- What they're saying: OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, coiner of the term "vibe coding", told the "No Priors" podcast he's been in a " state of AI psychosis " since December, trying to figure out
Summary
The most popular agentic AI systems have triggered something that looks a lot like addiction among some of tech's highest performers. Agentic coding tools like Anthropic's Claude Code, OpenAI's Codex and the open-source tool OpenClaw can write, test and ship software autonomously. The developer prompts, watches, reviews and then prompts again. What they're saying: OpenAI co-founder Andrej Karpathy, coiner of the term "vibe coding", told the "No Priors" podcast he's been in a " state of AI psychosis " since December, trying to figure out what's possible and "pushing it to the limit.