How I Use AI in Web Development

AI tools have changed how I write code. Not what I build or whether it's good, but how quickly I can move from idea to working software.

What I Actually Use

Claude Code - An AI coding assistant I use for tasks like reviewing code for issues, exploring unfamiliar APIs, generating test cases, and working through architectural decisions faster.

GitHub Copilot - AI-powered code completion integrated into my editor. It suggests code as I type, speeds up repetitive patterns, and helps me move through boilerplate without losing focus on the problem I'm actually solving.

Neither tool writes the application for me. They handle the mechanical parts of development so I can spend more time on the parts that actually require experience: system design, security, data modelling, and making sure what gets built is what you actually need.

What This Means for Your Project

Faster turnaround. Tasks that used to take a day often take half a day. That compounds across a project - more iterations, more time spent on refinement, earlier delivery.

More time on the hard problems. When I'm not writing boilerplate, I'm thinking about your business logic. The cognitive load shifts toward what matters.

Consistent code quality. AI tools flag common mistakes during development - not as a replacement for review, but as an additional check that catches things before they become issues.

Competitive rates. Efficiency gains mean I can offer senior-level output at a rate that reflects solo-developer overhead, not agency overhead.

What AI Doesn't Replace

Senior judgement. A tool that predicts the next line of code doesn't know your business, your users, or the constraints you're working within.

Every architectural decision, every security consideration, every trade-off between short-term speed and long-term maintainability - those still require experience. AI makes me faster, not less careful.

I also review everything AI suggests before it goes into your codebase. The output gets the same scrutiny as anything I'd write myself.

The Short Version

If two developers have equal skill but one uses AI tools and one doesn't, the one using AI tools will deliver more in the same time. That's the whole point.

You get the benefit of that without paying for a team.