How do you code with AI 2026?

Hi,

I'm an average beginner developer with about one year of experience, and I'm wondering how people actually use AI for coding.

I've been trying to work in small iterations—for example, first asking AI to write function A, then in a separate prompt function B, and finally asking it to combine both into feature C.

I've also tried implementing end-to-end features by first creating a plan and then implementing it. However, I find it really difficult to validate whether all the security considerations, edge cases, and best practices are actually covered. AI makes it very easy to generate code, but I end up spending a lot of time reviewing both the plan and the implementation separately. Sometimes it feels like it actually takes longer than coding without AI.

I haven't been using frameworks or methodologies like OpenSpec, nor have I used Claude plugins, skills, or similar tools. So far, I've only been using the raw Claude Code harness, GitHub Copilot, and Cursor—nothing external.

I'm curious about how other developers approach this.

How do you prefer to code with AI? For me, long-term maintainability and code quality are essential, but maybe I'm thinking about it the wrong way. Perhaps those things don't matter as much anymore?

I'm also really curious how high-performing engineering teams, like the ones at Google, are actually using AI in their day-to-day development.

Thanks in advance! I'd really appreciate hearing some HUMAN opinions.