Future Of SoftwareConference50min
Clean Code Revisited in the Age of AI
This talk reexamines Clean Code in the era of AI-generated software. As LLMs produce verbose, less maintainable code, traditional rules may need updating. With refactoring now fast and automated, it asks whether classic coding standards still apply when humans increasingly review machine-written code.
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Danny PreusslerSoundCloud
For a generation of developers, Uncle Bob’s Clean Code wasn’t just a book—it was a manifesto. While "Effective [Add Language here]" books guide us in syntax, Clean Code taught us our coding standards. A set of rules so strict that many criticized it, such as the number of lines per method.
But the game has changed. The hands on the keyboard are often no longer human, and the code our LLMs write is far from what traditional “Clean Code” is. AI favors verbosity over abstraction and completion over long-term maintainability; it even adds “evil” comments everywhere because that’s how its completion works.
Are these rules still valid when refactorings happen in the blink of an eye?
But humans will still review the code, won't they?
Let’s revisit the rules!
But the game has changed. The hands on the keyboard are often no longer human, and the code our LLMs write is far from what traditional “Clean Code” is. AI favors verbosity over abstraction and completion over long-term maintainability; it even adds “evil” comments everywhere because that’s how its completion works.
Are these rules still valid when refactorings happen in the blink of an eye?
But humans will still review the code, won't they?
Let’s revisit the rules!
Danny Preussler
Danny is a developer at heart, regularly writing and talking about development and testing, and is a Google Developer Expert for Android.
He worked for companies like Groupon, Viacom, eBay, writing Android apps, but started his mobile career long before Android with Java ME and BlackBerry applications. Having transitioned into full-stack development at SoundCloud, he now spends his time between various frontend and backend technologies and products, usually accompanied by a few trusted AI agents.
He worked for companies like Groupon, Viacom, eBay, writing Android apps, but started his mobile career long before Android with Java ME and BlackBerry applications. Having transitioned into full-stack development at SoundCloud, he now spends his time between various frontend and backend technologies and products, usually accompanied by a few trusted AI agents.