A simple four-question framework determines when AI-generated code requires rigorous engineering review. If code touches customer data, money, security, or is hard to undo, you must shift from 'vibe coding' to formal engineering practices and thorough testing.
AI tools commoditize initial code generation, the 'easy 80%'. The true value of an engineer is now their ability to determine when AI-generated code is correct, safe, and trustworthy—the crucial final 20% of the work where human judgment is irreplaceable.
The primary danger of AI-generated code is not obvious errors, but subtle flaws hidden within code that looks and feels complete. It runs and demos well, but may fail on critical edge cases involving security or concurrency that a simple 'vibe check' will not catch.