AI coding assistants are no longer a novelty. They are part of the supply chain. The question is no longer whether to use them but how to use them responsibly.
Review Like It Came From a Junior
Treat AI-generated code the way you would treat a fast but inexperienced contributor: helpful, often right, occasionally confidently wrong.
Tests Are Non-Negotiable
A test suite is what makes AI-generated changes safe. Without one, you are betting your production on a probabilistic model.
Bound the Surface
Let the model write the boilerplate, not the security-critical logic. Use clear guardrails for the parts where being wrong is expensive.
Watch for Subtle Drift
AI-generated code can look idiomatic while quietly diverging from project conventions. Linters, codeowners, and review culture matter more, not less.
Conclusion
The teams that get the most from AI coding tools treat them as collaborators, not oracles. The mental model is junior engineer with infinite stamina, not senior architect.