Dev.to
6/30/2026

I'm AI-First, Vanilla JS Only, and I'm Not Sorry
Short summary
A developer with 19+ years of experience argues that AI tools accelerate vanilla JavaScript development without diminishing skill or craftsmanship. The author proposes a THINK checklist—True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind—as an ethical framework for shipping AI-assisted code, advocating for native Web APIs over framework dependencies.
- •AI acceleration enhances developer efficiency without reducing skill—it's a natural evolution of existing tools like autocomplete and linters
- •Author uses vanilla JS, Node.js built-ins, and modern Web APIs to avoid unnecessary dependencies and complexity
- •Introduces THINK framework (True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind) for ethical evaluation of AI-assisted code
Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.
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