Lesson 1685 of 2116
AI coding: the test-first loop that makes review trivial
Ask the AI for failing tests first, approve them, then ask for the implementation. Review collapses to reading two diffs.
Lesson map
What this lesson covers
Learning path
The main moves in order
- 1The premise
- 2test-first development
- 3AI review workflow
- 4verifiable outputs
Concept cluster
Terms to connect while reading
Section 1
The premise
Generating tests before implementation forces the AI to commit to a contract you can read in plain English. Once tests pass, the implementation is constrained and review becomes mechanical.
What AI does well here
- Generate readable test cases from a behavior description
- Iterate on implementation until provided tests pass
- Surface ambiguities as test names you can question
What AI cannot do
- Invent meaningful tests for behavior you never described
- Catch missing test categories you didn't request
- Decide whether the test list is complete enough to ship
Key terms in this lesson
End-of-lesson quiz
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