Google Maps completely and utterly obliterated my ability to navigate. I no longer actively navigated. I passively navigated.

This is no different. And I'm not talking about vibe coding. I just mean having an llm browser window open.

When you're losing your abilities, it's easy to think you're getting smarter. You feel pretty smart when you're pasting that code

But you'll know when you start asking "do me that thingy again". You'll know from your own prompts. You'll know when you look at older code you wrote with fear and awe. That "coding" has shifted from an activity like weaving cloth to one more like watching YouTube.

Active coding vs passive coding