Sometimes You Just Need a Plain Screwdriver
An electrician explained why he hangs a light fixture with a hand screwdriver instead of a power drill. The same logic applies to vibe-coding: the fastest tool isn't always the one that leaves the least repair work behind.
I was recently watching an electrician do some work on a house. He was installing a light fixture. He had a lot of different tools on his belt. Power tools, tools that detect electricity, tools that measure straight lines, and so on. But he also had a screwdriver. A plain, hand-held screwdriver. As he was hanging a light fixture, he was using the handheld screwdriver to delicately hang it. So, I asked him, "Why aren't you using your power drill to hang the fixture?" My thinking was that he would be done in half the time. His answer rang with a tinge of experience. He told me that if he used the power drill in this situation, the torque would likely do more damage as opposed to speeding up the process, and in the end, he would spend more time doing repairs.
The Torque Problem in Software
His response got me thinking about the recent changes I've seen in the world of technology, particularly, vibe-coding. I do appreciate what artificial intelligence has provided. I've used it. It's particularly efficient at doing some very mundane tasks that used to take hours to complete. However, in my view, the recent projects that I've seen to be very successful stick with some of the basic fundamentals: define what the customer needs, build it, test it, make sure it's secure, and market it appropriately. If you use AI to do it all, like the power drill, sometimes you can do more damage, and in the long run result in more repair work.
What Happened When I Tested It
I recently tested this with a project I was working on. I gave AI a thorough prompt and explained all the factors. It built a very good application. However, upon doing a final review, there were some security issues, architecture issues, and general code construction issues that would not pass review by a senior engineer. After pressing the AI tool about the problems I found, often the response was "You are right. Let me change that." What did I learn?
Use the Right Tool for the Turn
While AI is a very powerful tool, and vibe-coding elements of an application are what we should do, sometimes you just need to use a plain screwdriver to polish the application, in other words, build what the customer wants and needs and make sure it's secure and communicated well.
Wondering where AI belongs in your build — and where a steady hand does the job better? Let's talk about it — we'll help you pick the right tool for each turn of the screw.