Update: I fleshed this out into an article:

The Deliverable is You! Programming as Theory Building

https://nekolucifer.substack.com/p/the-deliverable-is-you-pr...

The open question is to what degree the actual typing is necessary. I see it as proof that the mental model is sound.

The thinking produces the mental model, the mental model produces the program. In the absence of that final step, what validates the model? (Complaints from users and colleagues? ;)

Another great thread to pull on: the overlap between "moving up levels of abstraction", i.e. AI assisted programming merely continues and accelerates a trend that has been there for the entire history of programming.