The Problem with AI Coding Tools

The Promise vs. Reality

AI coding tools promise to 10x your productivity. And in some ways, they deliver. You can scaffold projects in minutes. Generate components with a prompt. Debug issues faster than ever.

But here's what nobody talks about:

The quick wins create hidden debt.

The Pattern I See Everywhere

**Day 1-3:** Incredible progress. MVP feels close.

**Day 4-7:** Hitting walls. Things that should work don't.

**Week 2:** Debugging mysterious issues. Adding workarounds.

**Week 3+:** Realizing the foundation is shaky. Security is missing. The codebase is unexplainable.

Sound familiar?

Why This Happens

AI tools optimize for immediate output, not long-term maintainability. They'll give you code that works right now but:

Doesn't follow your existing patterns

Skips validation and error handling

Ignores security considerations

Creates duplicate logic instead of reusing

And because the code "works," you move on. Debt accumulates.

The Solution Isn't Less AI

The solution is **structured AI assistance**. You need:

**Phases** — Planning before building

**Quality gates** — Blocking, not suggesting

**Documentation** — Generated and maintained automatically

**Red-team reviews** — Attack your plans before building them

This is what ZipBuild provides. Same AI power, minus the chaos.

The Bottom Line

AI coding tools are here to stay. The question isn't whether to use them — it's how to use them without creating a mess.

Structure beats raw speed. Every time.