AI to code 10x faster

Disclaimer

I'm not an "AI expert". But I've been using AI every single day for the past two and a half years, so I've developed a good intuition for what works and what doesn't.

Tools

Like many developers, I've gone through two phases in my AI journey.

I started with ChatGPT. As the name suggests, it's a chat. You talk with it, paste code snippets, and ask for help. The good thing is that you have to think carefully about every step. It's not too invasive — you still own the big picture of your project.

Then I switched to Claude Code, which is a massive paradigm shift. AI lives inside your coding environment. It can read all your files, run commands, and execute tests. It's mind-blowing — but it comes with a risk: it can make you lazy if you're not careful.

tl;dr: use Claude Code, but use it deliberately.

Live demo

How to use AI properly

Be specific. Don't say "make a chart". Say "create a bar chart with D3 in React, using this data structure, with a tooltip on hover." The more context you give, the better the output.

Iterate in small steps. Don't ask for a complete dashboard in one prompt. Build piece by piece: first the scales, then the axes, then the bars, then the tooltip. Small gaps are easier to review and understand.

Always read the code. Never blindly paste AI output. Read it, understand it, and make sure it matches what you expect. This is how you learn — and how you catch mistakes.

Ask questions. AI is a patient teacher. Ask "why did you use this approach?" or "what does this line do?" Use it to fill gaps in your understanding.

Warnings

You must use AI with care, especially while learning with this course.

If you let AI do everything for you, you won't learn. AI can get you 90% of the way there, but eventually you'll hit a wall — and without foundational knowledge, you won't know how to get past it.

Instead, use AI to make yourself stronger. Automate the boring stuff: data formatting, boilerplate, repetitive patterns. But stay in the driver's seat. Work step by step, review every change, and lead the AI in the right direction — not the other way around.