Is it still my code if AI writes it?

I ask myself this question a lot when I let AI write code. On screen, everything works. The tests are green. The CI run finds no quality issues. So: eyes shut and ship it to production?

That moment of hesitation is what this is about. If I just click through now, I am nothing more than the guard of a code machine. But I want to stand behind what lands under my name, with a clear conscience. That is why I am taking a closer look at what authorship means for developers in the age of AI.

Back in 2020 - pandemic aside - everything was fine, right? I dug through Stack Overflow, Google and framework docs to find a solution I could turn into code. The flow of coding came from the small frictions and problems I solved with growing skill, until I reached a result whose path I understood - and that I could stand behind.

Today, in 2026, I have to hold myself back from simply accepting every change the AI writes for a feature, even when the result looks good. Because underneath, I have a feeling that in the end I am undermining my own skills.

Where exactly does the problem arise? Software development with AI has several critical points; I describe them in my plan. For me, they all lead to one moment: the sign-off, right before my name goes into version control and stands behind these lines for good. To sign off there with a clear conscience, I don’t need a big method. I need three small questions at three points:

• Before I prompt: Can I state the goal in one sentence?
• Before I see the output: How will I know it is right? At least one criterion, set in advance.
• Before I sign off: Where could this break? Can I name a weak spot and check it?

The first two I tend to forget. The third is where it is decided whether I am the author or just waving things through.

What does this small routine do? It gives me back what the AI quietly took off my hands: responsibility for a good solution. And with that, I have the answer to my opening question: It is my code if I can sign off on it with a clear conscience.

That leaves flow. The way I knew it in 2020, it is not coming back. But it doesn’t vanish, it moves. Where to is the topic of the next Authorship Log: from the flow of coding to the flow of orchestrating.

Do you hesitate before you sign off?