Why AI Coding Agents Need to Think Beyond "Done"
By
Addy Osmani
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The article discusses how AI coding agents default to taking the shortest path to "done" — writing code immediately without considering specifications, tests, security boundaries, or code review implications. It draws a parallel to the failure mode that senior engineers learn to avoid over their careers, emphasizing the need for more thoughtful, structured approaches to AI-assisted software development.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledThe default behavior of any AI coding agent is to take the shortest path to 'done.'
Ask for a feature and it writes the feature.
It doesn't ask whether you have a spec, write a test before the implementation, consider whether the change crosses a trust boundary, or check what the PR will look like to a reviewer.
It produces code, declares victory, and moves on.
This is the same failure mode every senior engineer has spent their career learning to avoid.
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