If you've played video games you're familiar with the dopamine hit you get when defeating a big boss, solving some hard puzzle or finding rare loot. In some way

If you've played video games you're familiar with the dopamine hit you get when defeating a big boss, solving some hard puzzle or finding rare loot. In some ways, solving problems with software is the same way. Its the same feeling and using AI in the last 6+ months has accelerated the pace at which you can get those dopamine hits. That feeling is what's addictive. To use the video game analogy, if you could skip the grindy elements of repeating a boss fight over and over and just get more chances at the rare loot you probably would. Some call this a cheese, the community finds a cheesy way to defeat the boss easily so you do that and its a 5 min fight vs. 30. That's what AI is helping with: the grindy elements of coding. I think you can still reach burnout (both in games and software) even if the grindy parts are getting automated. You can certainly ignore AI and hand code but statistically speaking you will probably be "left behind" from your peers. Does your employer incentivize contributions individually and can you advance with this pace of work? If there are financial incentives it might make sense to put in extra effort. If your employer is in more of "its a marathon, not a sprint" mode and your contributions are to the greater good then put down the work at the end of the day and find something else to do. Set aside AI and ask yourself if its worth it putting in 2 extra hours per day.