
For you
Role Checks
Module · Senior at the wheel, or passenger
The Developer's AI Check
Coding AI can make you dramatically faster or quietly make you worse, and the difference is entirely in how you use it. A senior developer treats generated code as a draft from a fast, confident junior: reviewed, understood, tested, owned. A passenger accepts it because it compiles. This module checks whether you review your own AI output honestly, understand what you ship, catch the security and test gaps it leaves, and keep the fundamentals sharp underneath.
What the five levels look like
Every dimension in this assessment is scored 1 to 5. This is what the levels mean, dimension by dimension. The graded report diagnoses where your own answers land and what to do about it.
You review AI code
- 1Merge on sight
- 2Skim and ship
- 3Read it through
- 4Review line by line
- 5Review like a stranger's
At the low end: Merging generated code on sight means the model is the last set of eyes on your work. Read every line before it ships and hold it to the standard you would demand in any review. What good looks like: Reviewing generated code like a stranger's is exactly the senior habit. Keep it up even when the tool is usually right; the one time you wave it through is the one that bites.
You understand what you ship
- 1Rarely
- 2Mostly guessing
- 3The gist
- 4Nearly all
- 5Every line
At the low end: Committing code you cannot explain guarantees you cannot debug it later. Before you merge, work through anything you do not understand until you could defend it in a review. What good looks like: Being able to explain every line is what keeps you the engineer, not the tool. Hold that bar as the volume of generated code grows; it gets tempting to let more through unread.
You catch security holes
- 1Never look
- 2Assume it is safe
- 3Occasional check
- 4Deliberate review
- 5Threat-model it
At the low end: Never checking generated code for security is how vulnerabilities get shipped with confidence. Learn the common flaw classes and scan every generated block against them before it merges. What good looks like: Threat-modelling generated code is exactly the discipline the tools require. Keep your knowledge of the flaw classes current; the patterns evolve, and so do the ones the model reproduces.
You test AI code
- 1No tests added
- 2Trust it works
- 3Light tests
- 4Full coverage
- 5Tests before merge
At the low end: Shipping untested generated code trusts a tool that cannot run your system. Write tests for it exactly as you would for hand-written code, especially around the edges the model tends to miss. What good looks like: Holding generated code to a full testing bar before merge is the senior standard. Keep it non-negotiable; the pressure to skip tests rises exactly as the tool makes writing code feel free.
Your fundamentals stay sharp
- 1Skills rusting
- 2Coasting on AI
- 3Some practice
- 4Deliberate practice
- 5Sharper than ever
At the low end: Letting your fundamentals rust makes you unable to catch the tool when it is wrong. Set aside regular time to solve real problems yourself, without the AI, and keep the core skills alive. What good looks like: Keeping your skills sharp while the tool does the grind is what makes you dangerous in the best way. Maintain the practice; the developers who let the fundamentals go will not notice until it is too late.