tl;dr: Programmers wrongly accept AI coding tools because they consider programming merely functional rather than creative, but the author argues programming is art—even mundane code involves aesthetic decisions, and great innovations (like the author's Deferred abstraction) emerge from the contemplation of tedious work. Using AI to automate away mundane programming eliminates the practice opportunities needed to develop craft and achieve occasional moments of greatness, just as it would in writing, music, or visual art. Programmers should resist AI encroachment the way other creative professionals do.