ai-workflowAnswer last reviewed July 2026

Is there work you deliberately keep away from the assistant? What kinds, and why those?

A strong answer has an actual rule for when generation is off the table, and the rule comes down to what verification costs.

What an AI-prepared candidate might say

I keep it away from anything where a mistake would be expensive. So core business logic, security-sensitive code, anything touching authentication or payments, I write that myself, because those need careful human judgment. Architecture decisions too, since they depend on context about our systems and our team that the model just doesn't have. Where it does well is the routine work. Boilerplate, tests, small utilities, documentation, explaining code, all of that fits. So I lean on it when the task is well-defined and low-risk, and I do the high-stakes thinking myself. It's a tool with limits, and I think the job is knowing where it's strong and using it there. When I'm not sure which side a task falls on, I default to writing it myself and only reach for the assistant once the shape is clear.

Senior
Locked

The one rule the whole keep-away list falls out of, and the four kinds of work where it tells you to write the code yourself.

Unlock the depth
Staff
Locked

Setting generation boundaries for a whole team, why the line has to move with seniority, and what shows up in the incident channel when a boundary sits in the wrong place.

Unlock the depth
Follow-up chain
Is there work you deliberately keep away from the assistant? What kinds, and why those? | NodeBook