Reviewing code as human

Recently, during a conversation, I was asked what I look for in a pull request when reviewing code as an experienced software engineer. I mentioned a few criteria, but not all of them came to mind at that moment. It made me think, and I decided to document them, since one of my strengths is spotting issues in others’ code 😜. Some might wonder whether this is still relevant today, given AI tools like Copilot that review code. While AI does a good job at code review, in my experience it still misses certain nuances and isn’t perfect. Our judgment, based on our knowledge of the product or feature, allows us to determine what to dismiss and what to accept. We assess whether the review is too detailed or too high-level, what is acceptable and what isn’t. We identify what is important versus what is not. Finding the right balance is something AI can’t fully replicate, and this is where our human judgment is invaluable. Additionally, we can give AI instructions to address its gaps. Here are t