AI coding assistants can fix your bugs, generate full functions, refactor messy logic, and even explain complex concepts in seconds — dramatically accelerating your learning curve. But as tools from companies like Anthropic grow more capable, researchers are asking a deeper question: are these systems strengthening real programming skill, or subtly replacing the struggle that builds it? For beginners and experienced developers alike, the answer matters. Used intentionally, AI can sharpen reasoning and expose better patterns. Used passively, it may erode the very problem-solving instincts that define great engineers.