Pick the right tool for the job.
AI coding tools fall into four families. They overlap and change monthly, so learn the family first and the brand second.
Chat assistants
Ask & Explain
Good for: explaining, snippets, one-off questions
Limit: can't see or change your project
App builders
In The Browser
Good for: fast hosted prototypes, no setup
Limit: less control, harder to take elsewhere
Editor AI
In Your IDE
Good for: people already working in code
Limit: assumes you can read what it writes
Coding agents
Whole Project
Good for: multi-file work, running tests, Git
Limit: needs setup and guardrails
Learn one agent deeply. The skills travel with you.