Stop Letting AI Write Your Entire Component

Short summary

A developer shares lessons from three months using an AI-first editor, finding that accepting large AI-generated code blocks created maintainability problems. The solution: break prompts into atomic units (types first, then helper functions, then wiring), ask AI for explanations rather than fixes, and never commit code you cannot explain line-by-line. The core principle is that AI is good for boilerplate but terrible as an architect.

• •Use atomic prompts: define types, then individual functions, then wire into UI instead of requesting whole features
• •Ask AI for diagnostic theories rather than direct fixes to keep your problem-solving skills sharp
• •Never commit AI-generated code until you can explain every line to a hypothetical junior developer

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.