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Human Review Requirements

When to Use

Use this when you need to understand what "human review" actually means for AI-generated code — the minimum standard before you can honestly say you've reviewed the code.

Decision

Human Review IS Human Review IS NOT
Understanding the problem being solved Running the code and seeing if it works
Reading every line and knowing why it's there Scanning code quickly for obvious errors
Verifying API calls against Drupal documentation Trusting AI's assertion that "this is correct"
Testing edge cases and error conditions Running it once with test data
Questioning whether the approach is simplest Accepting the first solution that works
Being able to defend every technical choice Saying "the AI chose this approach"

Minimum review standard by disclosure level:

Disclosure Level Minimum Review Standard
AI Assisted Code Read all code, verify API usage, run tests, ensure you understand everything
AI Generated Code All of the above + verify every API call exists, test edge cases thoroughly, question the approach
Vibe Coded All of the above + consider rewriting from scratch; if you can't review at "AI Generated" level, don't submit

Pattern

The "Senior Developer" Test — ask these six questions:

  1. "What does this code do?" — Explain in your own words, not the AI's words
  2. "Why this approach?" — Know the alternatives and why this one was chosen
  3. "What happens if [input] is [edge case]?" — Know the behavior for unexpected inputs
  4. "What would a malicious user try?" — Consider security implications
  5. "Is there a simpler way?" — AI frequently over-engineers; apply the "isn't CSS simpler?" test
  6. "What breaks if this code is wrong?" — Understand the blast radius

If you can answer all six confidently, you've reviewed the code.

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Confusing "it works" with "it's correct" → Right: Working code can still create unnecessary technical debt and maintenance burden
  • Wrong: Trusting AI's confidence → Right: AI presents solutions as "production ready" regardless of correctness; you must be the skeptic
  • Wrong: Reviewing AI code less carefully than human code → Right: AI code deserves MORE scrutiny because it may contain subtle issues that look correct but aren't
  • Wrong: Not starting fresh when confused → Right: If you've been going back and forth with AI and things aren't making sense, start a new session — context poisoning is real

See Also