AI coding agents trigger addictive curiosity loops

This is a real and underreported UX phenomenon — fast AI feedback loops don't just improve productivity, they fundamentally alter the subjective experience of work in ways we're only beginning to understand.

• –The "curiosity loop" effect is distinct from flow state: it's driven by the AI always having another suggestion, another refactor, another idea to chase
• –Coding agents compress iteration cycles from hours to seconds, which is exactly the feedback frequency that behavioral psychology links to habit formation
• –This has implications for developer wellbeing and productivity tooling — if AI tools are genuinely addictive, that's both a feature and a risk
• –The r/singularity thread suggests this is broadly resonant, not just one developer's quirk