- Primary Subject: Clint Hocking
- Key Update: Hocking said using ChatGPT to learn JavaScript was "brutal" because the AI frequently produced broken code that required extensive debugging and troubleshooting
- Status: Comments shared in an interview covered by GamesRadar+ from an interview published in Edge Magazine
- Last Verified: May 26, 2026
- Quick Answer: Clint Hocking said learning JavaScript with ChatGPT was “brutal” because the AI frequently generated broken code. He spent much of his time debugging mistakes and concluded that human understanding remained essential.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore within the video game industry.
From generating placeholder art and assisting with writing tasks to helping developers prototype systems more quickly, AI tools are steadily finding their way into development pipelines across the industry.
Many studios are exploring how the technology can reduce workloads and accelerate production, while others remain skeptical about its reliability and long-term impact.
Former Ubisoft director Clint Hocking appears to fall somewhere in the middle.
Although he believes AI will inevitably become a larger part of game development, his own attempt to learn programming through ChatGPT left him with a far less optimistic view of what the technology can currently accomplish.
How Did Clint Hocking End Up Using ChatGPT to Learn Coding?
According to GamesRadar's coverage of an interview published in Edge Magazine, Hocking opened up about his personal experience using ChatGPT while teaching himself JavaScript.
The veteran developer, who previously directed Far Cry 2 and Watch Dogs: Legion and most recently worked on Assassin's Creed Hexe, explained that he turned to the AI chatbot as a learning tool while trying to understand programming concepts.
The AI tool ultimately proved far less helpful than Hocking had hoped.
He called the experience "brutal," explaining that he frequently encountered code that failed to run correctly and had to be painstakingly debugged.
Still learning the basics of programming, he frequently had to untangle problems caused by code whose underlying logic was unfamiliar to him.
Instead of speeding up the learning process, the chatbot frequently sent him down debugging rabbit holes, forcing him to investigate errors, test alternative fixes, and determine why the suggested code failed to work.
The challenge became particularly difficult because debugging is already one of the most demanding aspects of learning software development.
Experienced programmers can usually identify flaws in generated code relatively quickly, but beginners often lack the knowledge needed to distinguish between correct and incorrect solutions.
Hocking admitted that much of his time was spent untangling mistakes generated by the AI while simultaneously trying to learn the language itself.
In practice, this meant he was effectively teaching himself programming while also fact-checking his AI assistant at every step.
Despite the difficulties, Hocking eventually achieved his goal.
After roughly six months of working through problems and refining his understanding of JavaScript, he became comfortable enough with the language to continue coding without relying on AI-generated assistance.
Looking back, however, he suggested that ChatGPT was less of a replacement for learning and more of an unpredictable study partner.
While it occasionally pointed him in useful directions, it also created enough confusion that he believes he learned to code largely through persistence and problem-solving rather than through the quality of the AI's guidance itself.
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