Part 1 of 7 · how to code with AI
The Mental Model
Stop treating the LLM like an oracle. Start treating it like a junior.
5 lessons·~90 seconds each
The shift from 'AI is magic' or 'AI is useless' to 'AI is a junior engineer I am managing.' Foundational. Without this, no pattern in parts 2–7 lands.
1.1
The engine is a junior. You are the senior.
Treat every LLM response like code from an unsupervised junior engineer: useful, frequently wrong, never trusted on first read.
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1.2
Specs over prompts.
Draft pendingWrite the contract before you write the prompt.
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1.3
Where LLMs predictably fail.
Draft pendingFive places the engine will be wrong. Memorize them.
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1.4
The verification reflex.
Draft pendingReading the diff is not optional. It is the job.
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1.5
You are the senior engineer.
Draft pendingAnd you cannot outsource that.
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