Your code is your responsibility, even if AI wrote it

When you submit a pull-request, you accept full responsibility for the code you're submitting.

This comes up so often in conversation I am amazed that I need to spell this out at all – but here it is.

It doesn't matter if you vibe-coded, used AI-autocomplete, copy-pasted from Stack Overflow or from some other project, or if you asked your aunt to help you. By hitting that “Create PR” (or equivalent) button, you attest that you fully understand what the code is doing and that you have legal rights to submit it (ie. you're not stealing).

If I'm reviewing a PR, or any production code, and the author has no idea how or why it works, it's a red flag. Worse if the author hides the fact that they have used AI, Stack Overflow, or subcontracted someone on Upwork. In my book, that's serious and unacceptable breach of professional conduct.

Note that there are situations where it's perfectly fine to have bunch of spaghetti slapped together with duct-tape: spikes, prototypes, quick throwaway code or low-impact internal tool. Wanna vibe-code that new app screen as a functional mockup? Knock your socks off!

The required quality of the code, and understanding of the details and effects, is unrelated to the tool used to create said code. I would expect any developer (except perhaps the most junior novices – they first need to learn this) to understand how much care they need to put in.

You can't abdicate your responsibility for the code. “The AI wrote it” carries the same weight as “the dog ate my homework.”