Why ChatGPT or DeepSeek Can’t Replace LeetCode in 2025

With the rapid advancements in AI-powered coding assistants like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, many developers wonder whether platforms like LeetCode will become obsolete. After all, AI models can generate solutions to programming problems in seconds, provide explanations, and even optimize code. However, despite these capabilities, AI tools cannot fully replace LeetCode in 2025 for several key reasons.

1. LeetCode Is a Learning Platform, Not Just a Problem-Solving Tool

LeetCode is not merely about getting the correct solution to a problem—it’s about learning, improving problem-solving skills, and preparing for technical interviews.

• AI models like ChatGPT and DeepSeek can generate solutions, but they do not replace the process of problem-solving that helps developers think critically and develop intuition.
• The act of struggling through a problem, debugging, and refining a solution is essential for deep learning and retention—something that AI-generated answers don’t provide.

2. AI Can Solve Problems, But It Can’t Train Problem-Solving Skills

When preparing for coding interviews, companies evaluate more than just code correctness. They assess:

• Problem-solving approach
• Optimization techniques
• Efficiency in thinking through edge cases
• Code structure and clarity of explanation

Using AI to instantly generate a solution skips the cognitive process that engineers need to develop for real-world software development. AI might show you the answer, but you won’t gain the skill of solving problems independently, which is crucial in a real job.

3. Interviewers Expect You to Explain Your Thought Process

In a technical interview, just writing the correct solution is not enough. Interviewers ask candidates to:

• Explain their approach before coding
• Justify their choice of data structures and algorithms
• Discuss trade-offs and possible optimizations

If an AI like ChatGPT or DeepSeek generates a solution for you, you might not fully understand it well enough to explain it under pressure. Many AI-generated solutions are correct but lack intuitive explanations, making them ineffective for interview preparation.

4. AI May Not Always Provide the Optimal or Correct Solution

While AI coding assistants are improving, they are not perfect. Common issues include:

• Incorrect solutions: AI may produce wrong or suboptimal code, especially for complex or edge-case-heavy problems.
• Overcomplicated solutions: AI sometimes generates solutions that are more complex than necessary, which is a bad practice in software engineering.
• Lack of reasoning for optimizations: While AI can rewrite code to be more efficient, it does not always explain why a certain approach is better.

LeetCode, on the other hand, provides trusted editorial solutions, discussions, and a testcase-driven approach to ensure correctness.

5. LeetCode Encourages Hands-On Practice

Unlike ChatGPT or DeepSeek, LeetCode provides:

• A structured progression of problems, from easy to hard, which helps users gradually improve their skills.
• Contests and real-time challenges, which simulate real interview pressure.
• Detailed discussions and community-driven solutions, which provide diverse perspectives on problem-solving.

While AI can generate answers, it does not provide the hands-on, structured practice and competitive environment that LeetCode offers.

6. Companies Still Use LeetCode-Style Problems for Hiring

Despite the rise of AI, big tech companies (Google, Amazon, Meta, etc.) still rely on LeetCode-style problems in their hiring process.

• Candidates must write code themselves in a live coding environment—AI tools won’t be available during interviews.
• Recruiters look for problem-solving patterns, which candidates develop only through extensive practice, not just by reading AI-generated solutions.

Since companies have not replaced coding interviews with AI-assisted tests, LeetCode remains essential for job seekers in 2025.

7. AI Can Be a Tool, But Not a Substitute

AI assistants like ChatGPT and DeepSeek can be great learning aids, helping users:

✅ Understand different approaches to a problem
✅ Debug their own solutions
✅ Get hints when stuck

However, they should be used as a complement to LeetCode, not as a replacement. Relying too much on AI can lead to passive learning, where developers become dependent on AI rather than developing their own problem-solving skills.

Conclusion

AI-powered coding assistants are transforming software development, but they cannot replace LeetCode in 2025 because:

• Learning to code is about developing problem-solving skills, not just generating answers.
• Interviewers evaluate thought process and coding ability, not just solutions.
• AI is not always reliable or optimal, whereas LeetCode provides structured learning and trusted solutions.
• LeetCode encourages hands-on practice, real-time contests, and a learning-driven approach, which AI cannot replicate.

Instead of replacing LeetCode, AI should be used as a supplementary tool to enhance the problem-solving journey. If you want to succeed in technical interviews and coding challenges, practicing on LeetCode is still essential—AI won’t do the job for you. 🚀