AI doesn't mean you can't understand code

I have found that AI-generated code is often sloppy, unnecessarily complex, and a lot of the time, just plain wrong. For me, AI code generation is akin to mindlessly copy-pasting code snippets from Stack Overflow, and we all know how that goes. It usually takes me longer to understand AI generated code than write my own.

You can’t off load understanding. Using AI to generate entire projects isn’t the solution. Using it as a rapid lookup tool, much more promising. Interesting that DORA metrics seem to indicate negative impact on delivery stability. Which if you’re releasing code you don’t understand seems a given.

_{Quote Citation: Salma Alam-Naylor, “Does AI really make you more productive?”, March 27, 2025, https://blog.nordcraft.com/does-ai-really-make-you-more-productive}