Three Eras of Development
No AI
Traditional
2–5 days
Read ticket → Research → Write code → Write tests → Debug → PR → Fix feedback → Merge
You do all the thinking AND all the typing
Human IN the Loop
AI in your IDE
1–3 days
Open IDE → Ask Copilot → Review → Ask AI for tests → Debug manually → PR → Merge
AI does the typing. You do everything else.
Human ON the Loop
Describe goal, review output
30–60 min
Write task → Agent plans → Agent implements → Agent tests → Agent creates PR → You review → Merge
AI does everything. You define the goal and approve.
Day-one rule
Never paste passwords, API keys, client secrets, or unmasked PII into any Claude interface. We'll cover data handling in depth in Session 5.