Question 1

Why does AI-generated code need different review than human-written code?

Accepted Answer

AI assistants tend to skip edge cases, hallucinate API usage, add unnecessary dependencies, and produce code that looks correct but contains subtle logic errors. The code often works for the happy path but fails silently on boundary conditions. A structured checklist catches these patterns.

Question 2

How many items should I check before approving a PR?

Accepted Answer

Critical items (marked in red) should all pass. Warning items (yellow) depend on your team's risk tolerance. A passing score is typically 80%+ with all critical items checked.

Question 3

Should I use this for every AI-assisted PR?

Accepted Answer

Yes, especially for PRs where AI wrote more than 30% of the diff. Small AI suggestions (a rename, a bug fix) need fewer checks. Large AI-generated features deserve the full checklist.

Question 4

Can I customize this checklist for my team?

Accepted Answer

Copy the checklist summary and adapt it. The categories map to common code review concerns — add or remove items based on your stack and risk profile.

Question 5

Is this based on research or just opinion?

Accepted Answer

The checklist is based on analysis of common AI coding failure patterns documented in Hacker News discussions (417+ comments on 'Using AI to write better code more slowly'), DEV Community reports on developer honesty, and production incident patterns from teams using Copilot and Claude.

AI Code Review Checklist