In these days where AI is writing more and more of our code, I think there is a big difference between using AI to help you code and just telling it to build an entire system for you. If you type something like, "Create a user management system for keeping track of our company’s hours," the AI will make almost every important decision on its own. It will decide what the database tables are called, what information they store, how the pages work, and how everything connects together.
A better way to use AI is to have it write the same code you were going to write anyway. You should decide how the system works first, then explain it clearly. Tell it to create an employees table with an ID, first name, last name, email, and active status. Tell it to create a time entries table with the employee ID, date, clock in time, clock out time, break minutes, and notes. Tell it which fields are required and how the two tables connect.
You should also describe what you want on the screen. For example, tell it to make an employee page with an Add Employee button, an Edit button, and a Deactivate button. Tell it not to delete employees who already have time entries because you still need their history for reports. Then describe the time entry page, including the employee and date filters, the Add, Edit, and Delete buttons, and how the total hours should be calculated. This still saves you a huge amount of typing, but the AI is building your system instead of inventing one for you.
The biggest benefit is that you will still understand your own code base. If something breaks six months later, you will not have to open MySQL and start trying to figure out what the tables are called or how the data is connected. This becomes even more important when you add payroll, scheduling, reports, or another system that needs to use the same database. If you never understood the original system, every new feature is being built on top of something you do not really know.
AI is an amazing tool for writing code faster, but you should try not to hand over all of the thinking. Decide on the database, the fields, the buttons, the rules, and how the feature should work. Then let AI handle the repetitive work of turning those decisions into code. You will get closer to what you actually wanted, and you will still know how your own system works when it is time to fix it or expand it.