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Diego Carreira de França
Diego Carreira de França

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🤖 Should I Use AI for Code Reviews? 🤔

#webdev #javascript #ai

Hey! Let's cut to the chase - you're probably wondering if AI code review tools are worth your time. Let's look at real examples where they shine (and where they don't).

Where AI Actually Helps 👍

1. Catching Simple But Annoying Mistakes 

// Your code function getUserData(id) { const user = users.find(u => u.id === id); return user.data; // Potential null reference } // AI suggestion: "Hey, you might want to add a null check here" function getUserData(id) { const user = users.find(u => u.id === id); return user?.data ?? null; }
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2. Style and Best Practices 

// Your code const processItems = (items) => { let result = []; for(let i = 0; i < items.length; i++) { result.push(items[i].value * 2); } return result; } // AI suggestion: "This could be simpler with map()" const processItems = (items) => items.map(item => item.value * 2);
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3. Performance Hints 

// Your code const searchUsers = users.filter(user => { return user.name.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm.toLowerCase()); }).map(user => user.name); // AI suggestion: "Moving toLowerCase() outside the loop" const searchTermLower = searchTerm.toLowerCase(); const searchUsers = users .filter(user => user.name.toLowerCase().includes(searchTermLower)) .map(user => user.name);
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Where AI Falls Short 👎

1. Business Logic 

// AI won't understand your business rules function calculateDiscount(user, cart) { // Complex business logic here if (user.tier === 'premium' && cart.total > 100) { return cart.total * 0.15; } // AI might suggest "simplifying" this, // but it doesn't know your business rules! }
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2. Architecture Decisions 

// AI won't help much with architectural choices // It might even give bad advice! import { useContext } from 'react'; // AI might not understand why you chose // Context over Props or Redux const UserProfile = () => { const user = useContext(UserContext); // ... }
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The Bottom Line 🎯

✅ Use AI review tools for:

  • Catching typos and basic errors
  • Style consistency
  • Simple refactoring suggestions
  • Security basics

❌ Don't rely on AI for:

  • Business logic validation
  • Architecture decisions
  • Complex security reviews
  • Team-specific patterns

Quick Start (if you want to try) 

# Most IDEs now have AI integration # VSCode + GitHub Copilot example: 1. Install GitHub Copilot extension 2. Open a PR 3. Look for the AI suggestions in comments # That's it! Start small and see if it helps
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Pro Tip 💡

Use AI reviews as a first pass before human review. It's like having a junior dev look at your code before your senior dev does - helpful, but not the final word.

Remember: AI is a tool, not a replacement for thinking! 🧠

Thanks for reading! Do you have any thoughts ? Leave questions or comments below.

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