# IIT Alumnus Sparks Debate Over Student AI Dependence > Source: > Published: 2026-06-22 09:13:52.516141+00:00 # IIT Alumnus Sparks Debate Over Student AI Dependence India Today reports that a viral post by startup founder and **IIT alumnus Devaansh Bhandari** on X reignited debate about students' reliance on AI tools such as ChatGPT for coding, assignments and learning. According to India Today, Bhandari recalled learning to program in 2020 when even simple bugs could take **30 to 40 minutes** to resolve, and the article quotes him: "The hours spent debugging taught me much more than just fixing a bug." India Today frames the discussion around concerns that constant AI assistance could weaken critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. Editorial analysis: For educators and hiring managers, the episode highlights a broader tradeoff between faster iteration with AI and the need to preserve observable debugging and reasoning practice. ### What happened India Today reports that a viral post by startup founder and **IIT alumnus Devaansh Bhandari** on X reignited debate over student dependence on AI tools such as ChatGPT for coding, assignments and learning. According to India Today, Bhandari recalled learning to program in **2020**, saying even simple bugs could take **30 to 40 minutes** to resolve, and he is quoted: "The hours spent debugging taught me much more than just fixing a bug." The article frames the conversation around concerns that routine AI assistance may erode critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. ### Editorial analysis - technical context Wider adoption of AI coding assistants accelerates iteration and lowers the barrier to producing working code, but industry-pattern observations show this can reduce the frequency of deliberate debugging cycles that build deep mental models. For practitioners: reduced exposure to low-level debugging can make it harder to evaluate a candidate's problem decomposition and error-hunting skills using conventional assignments. ### Context and significance Industry observers note that academic integrity, assessment design, and recruitment signals are all under pressure as AI tools become ubiquitous in classrooms. Reporting like India Today indicates the debate is now public and cultural, not limited to specialist forums, which makes it relevant to educators, curriculum designers, and engineering hiring teams. ### What to watch Monitor changes in assessment methods (open-book practicals, oral exams, instrumented debugging tasks), statements from academic institutions on AI-guided work, and employer evaluation practices that aim to distinguish assisted outputs from unaided problem-solving. India Today did not report institutional policy changes tied to this specific post. ## Scoring Rationale The story is relevant to educators, curriculum designers, and technical hiring teams because it highlights growing public debate about AI use in learning. It is not a technical breakthrough or policy decision, so impact is moderate for AI/ML practitioners. Practice with real Ad Tech data 90 SQL & Python problems · 15 industry datasets [Active Search Campaigns by BudgetEasy](/problems/sql/active-search-campaigns-by-budget) [High CPC Clicks & Poor Landing PagesMedium](/problems/sql/high-cpc-clicks-poor-landing-page) [Campaign ROAS by Attribution ModelHard](/problems/sql/campaign-roas-by-attribution-model) 250 free problems · No credit card [See all Ad Tech problems](/problems/datasets/adtech)