AI for your role

AI for Software Engineers

Ship better code with AI doing the busywork.

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The shift

How AI is changing the Software Engineer role

In 2026, AI handles a growing share of routine coding work like generating boilerplate, writing unit tests, and explaining unfamiliar code. Engineers now spend more time on system design, code review, and verifying AI output instead of typing every line. Debugging and refactoring have shifted toward describing the problem in plain language and iterating with an assistant that has context on the whole repository.

What AI can take off your plate

  • Generating boilerplate, config files, and repetitive CRUD code
  • Writing first-draft unit tests and test fixtures
  • Drafting documentation, docstrings, and commit messages
  • Translating code between languages or framework versions
  • Summarizing long stack traces and log output to find the root cause

What stays distinctly human

  • Deciding system architecture and weighing long-term trade-offs
  • Understanding what users and the business actually need
  • Making judgment calls on security, performance, and reliability risks
  • Mentoring teammates and giving thoughtful code review feedback
  • Owning accountability when production breaks
Tools

Five AI tools for Software Engineers

GitHub Copilot
A Software Engineer uses it for inline code completion, generating functions from comments, and chatting about code directly inside the editor.
Try it →
Cursor
An AI-first code editor that lets an engineer edit across multiple files, ask questions about the codebase, and apply suggested changes with full project context.
Try it →
Claude Code
A terminal-based agent that reads the repo, runs commands, and makes multi-file edits while an engineer reviews each step.
Try it →
ChatGPT
A Software Engineer uses it to debug error messages, draft regular expressions, compare library choices, and explain unfamiliar concepts.
Try it →
Sourcegraph Cody
Provides code search and AI answers across large codebases, helping an engineer understand how a function is used before changing it.
Try it →
Prompts

Five prompts to try today

Paste these into Claude or ChatGPT and replace the bracketed parts with your own details.

1. Explain unfamiliar code
Explain what this code does step by step, including any side effects and edge cases I should watch for: [paste code]
2. Write unit tests
Write unit tests for this function using [testing framework]. Cover normal cases, edge cases, and error handling: [paste function]
3. Debug an error
I am getting this error: [paste error]. Here is the relevant code: [paste code]. List the most likely causes and how to fix each one.
4. Review a pull request
Review this diff for bugs, security issues, and readability problems. Suggest specific changes with reasons: [paste diff]
5. Refactor for clarity
Refactor this code to be more readable and maintainable without changing its behavior. Explain each change you make: [paste code]
The playbook

Every AI play for Software Engineers

Your full AI playbook for your role — updated every week. Tap any card for a step-by-step walkthrough and examples.

✦  New AI plays are added every week — and go straight to subscribers in their morning brief. Skip the scrolling and get yours delivered free. Get my free brief →
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A day in your inbox

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Monday morning
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Your PlaybookReport digest
Read the 80-page report in 10 minutes, with citations

Turn a dense PDF into answers you can trust, because every reply points to the page it came from. Free with a Google account.

NotebookLM FREE  Google's free tool that answers only from sources you upload, with citations

1

Go to notebooklm.google.com, sign in with a free Google account, start a notebook, and upload the report PDF (or paste its text) as a source.

2

Ask it to pull the parts that matter to you, so the answer stays grounded in the document:

Summarize this report in 8 bullet points a busy [my role] needs to know. Then list the 3 decisions or risks it raises. Quote the exact sentence behind each point and cite the page.
3

Follow up on anything unclear instead of rereading:

Where does this report talk about [topic or number]? Give me the exact lines and the page.

You get the real content and its sources in minutes, instead of skimming and hoping you caught the important part.

Your role, all in one place
  
Tools, prompts & tricks
Your full library, one tap away.
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Your playbook
Every entry, building each week.
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How AI is changing your role
Where your work is heading.
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