AI Pair Programming and the Question of Trust
Your AI coding assistant generates code faster than you can read it. This is either a productivity revolution or a trust exercise, depending on how carefully you review the output.
The Speed Trap
Accepting AI suggestions without reading them is like signing contracts without reading them. It works until it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t, the explanation is always the same: "I assumed it was fine."
What AI Does Well
Boilerplate that follows established patterns
Test scaffolding for known interfaces
Documentation drafts that capture intent
Refactoring suggestions that spot patterns humans miss
What AI Does Not Do
Understand your business context
Know that the payment service has a 3-second timeout that isn’t documented
Care about your users the way you do
The Partnership
The best AI pair programming feels like having a very fast, very literal colleague who never gets tired and never pushes back. The pushing back is your job. Don’t outsource it.
The familiar doesn’t replace the enchantress. It amplifies her reach. The judgment remains hers.
— JP, from the void.