Don’t Abuse AI
When I opened my business, I had a question I couldn’t ignore:
Is it really possible to build a full product using only AI?
Not “AI-assisted.”
Not “AI helped here and there.”
I mean everything — code, UI, logo — all AI.
The only human parts would be the idea and testing.
So I decided to test it the hard way.
The Experiment
I started with an old mobile game idea I had called Flagora — a simple flag-guessing game.
I forced myself into strict rules:
- All development was done using AI only (I used Augment with its $50/month subscription)
- No manual coding. No “I’ll just fix this myself.”
- The logo was AI-generated (ChatGPT Plus)
- The only thing I did manually was testing and providing the idea
I did this on purpose. I wanted to know the real limits.
What did I get?
- A working flag game
- Built nicely
- Looked like success
But that feeling didn’t last long.
The First Real Cost: Credits
Building even a simple app consumes a shocking amount of credits.
- Tiny UI change? Credits.
- Want to refactor logic? Credits.
- Fixing something you didn’t ask to be changed? Credits.
And credits are not cheap.
I realized very quickly that:
AI feels fast — but it’s expensive fast.
You’re paying for every mistake.
Including mistakes the AI makes on its own.
The Bigger Problem: Dependency
This was the part that actually scared me.
When AI writes thousands of lines of code, and your only involvement is:
“Yep, looks good.”
You don’t really understand your own codebase.
So when a small logic bug appeared, I thought:
“No problem. I’m a developer. I’ll fix it myself.”
I opened the code.
And I was completely lost.
The AI had:
- Over-engineered simple logic
- Abstracted things unnecessarily
- Split responsibilities in ways I would never choose
Finding where to fix the bug was harder than fixing the bug itself.
And worse — I was out of credits.
That’s when it hit me:
I had built something I couldn’t maintain without AI.
Yes, I felt productive.
Yes, the app was built quickly.
But the price of dependency wasn’t worth it.
It Wasn’t Just One Tool
This isn’t about Augment specifically.
I tried the same approach with:
- Web apps
- Other AI tools (including Cursor)
Same pattern every time:
- Fast initial progress
- Hidden complexity
- Painful maintenance
- Expensive iteration
AI doesn’t just write code.
It writes its way of code.
If you don’t control that early, you inherit chaos later.
The Lesson: Where AI Actually Helps
Here’s what I learned the hard way.
AI is amazing for:
- UI
- CSS
- Layout
- Design systems
- Boilerplate
- Scaffolding
AI is dangerous for:
- Core logic
- Architecture decisions
- Backend integrations
- Business rules
- Anything you’ll need to debug at 2 AM
If you let AI own your logic, you lose ownership of your product.
The Rule System I Built Afterward
After this experience, I changed how I work completely.
Every new idea now goes through a planning document before execution.
One of the most important sections is AI usage rules.
For Augment specifically, my rules are simple and strict:
- ❌ Augment is NOT allowed to change existing logic
- ❌ Augment is NOT allowed to write backend code
- ❌ Augment is NOT allowed to refactor without permission
- ✅ Augment MAY work on UI
- ✅ Augment MAY scaffold backend functions (without implementation)
- ✅ Augment MUST ask before every change
Why?
Because I wasted too many credits fixing things I never asked to be changed.
My Current Workflow (That Actually Works)
-
Generate the product structure using tools like Base44
- In my preferred language (TypeScript)
- With most UI and structure ready
Export the project into Augment
-
Use Augment only to:
- Understand the UI
- Suggest backend functions
- Describe what needs to be implemented
-
I write all the logic myself
- Backend
- Integrations
- Business rules
This way:
- AI supports my weak spots
- I control the core
- I can debug without burning credits
- I actually understand my own product
Final Takeaway
You should definitely use AI — but don’t abuse it.
It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’re being more efficient with AI.
And before you realize it:
- You don’t understand your code
- You can’t fix bugs without credits
- You’re dependent on a tool instead of empowered by it
If you’re a developer, protect your skills.
Make sure every project includes parts only you write.
Because the scariest part isn’t that AI can write code faster than you —
it’s how quickly you stop being able to.
Top comments (0)