Don't read AI code line by line: a four-quadrant strategy for what to review
israynotarray · reddit · 2026-10-13
The author sorts AI-generated code by two questions: "does it hurt if this is wrong?" and "can I follow it?", yielding four quadrants:
- Hurts if wrong, can follow: read it yourself once (money math, discount logic)
- Hurts if wrong, can't follow: make the AI explain it until you can (where/how data is stored and loaded)
- Doesn't hurt, can follow: quick skim (button labels, wording, colors)
- Doesn't hurt, can't follow: leave to tests and code review (style setup, config files)
The bar for "read" is deliberately low: explain in plain words where the data lives, its shape, and which files it passes through—not every line. The line also moves with the project: throwaway prototypes get barely any review, while products other people use get a much bigger "hurts if wrong" row.
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