Stop Prompting And Start Planning

AI coding assistants are brilliant goldfish. They have zero long-term memory and will happily build whatever you ask, even if it's a terrible idea.

The Most Important Part of AI Coding Happens Before The Code

A recent developer discussion reveals why your AI co-pilot needs a boss, not just a prompter.

A discussion on Reddit is challenging the 'just prompt it' mentality of AI-assisted development. The core insight is that project management is more critical than ever. Using an AI as a planning partner to refine goals, generate user stories, and detail architecture first is the new way to accelerate, not just generate.

This isn't about slowing down; it's about strategic direction. The quality of AI-generated code is a direct reflection of the quality of your plan, and 'garbage in, garbage out' has never been more true. The developer's role is shifting from a typist to an architect who intelligently directs the AI, questions its outputs, and curates the results.

The temptation to jump straight into coding with an AI is immense, but it's a trap. The most effective developers are now spending more time on the plan than the code. They ensure the AI is building the *right* thing, not just building *a* thing fast.

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The Privacy-First AI Wave

The new killer feature for AI tools isn't what they do with your data, but what they *don't* do.

Hyprnote: The AI meeting bot that promises not to snitch.

This AI notetaker runs entirely on-device, meaning your confidential meeting notes never touch the cloud. It's a direct answer to the justified paranoia about who's listening in, making privacy a product, not an afterthought.

Convo: An AI that analyses your texts without reading them.

This tool pulls sentiment and topics from your SMS conversations locally, on your device. It's part of a necessary trend towards giving users powerful AI tools without demanding their private data as payment.

Your New AI Mentors

AI is moving beyond simple task execution and into roles that look a lot like coaching and mentorship.

nFactorial AI: Get a one-on-one with an AI version of Elon Musk.

Instead of a pre-recorded course, this tool simulates interactive video calls with AI personas of industry legends. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a future where expert knowledge is endlessly scalable and conversational.

Weave: The AI coach your dev team actually needs.

This engineering intelligence platform tells you how effectively your team is using AI. It analyses workflows to turn the buzzword of 'AI adoption' into measurable performance, moving from vibes to value.

Quick hits

SuperCraft: The 'Figma for physical products' has arrived.
Use natural language to design real-world objects, turning complex CAD work into a simple conversation with an AI.

Embedding Atlas: Apple just open-sourced an x-ray for your AI.
This tool lets developers visualise and search massive datasets to better debug their AI models, and it's from Apple of all places.

Dad Reply: The only email extension you'll ever need.
Respond to any email with a single, beautifully ambiguous thumbs-up emoji, achieving peak efficiency through pure apathy.

My takeaway

The real bottleneck in software development was never typing speed.

We got mesmerised by how fast AI could generate code and briefly forgot that building the wrong thing quickly is just a faster way to fail. The most valuable work happens before the first line of code is written, in the thinking and the planning. This is where the leverage is.

The best developers are now using AI as a sparring partner in the planning phase, not just as a code generator. This elevates the craft from mechanical production to strategic direction. It’s a return to what engineering is supposed to be: solving problems, not just writing lines.

When was the last time you built something perfectly, exactly as planned, on the first try?

Drop me a reply. Till next time, this is Louis, and you are reading Louis.log().