AI Developer's Field Guide

AI can now write code that looks right. That's the problem.It ships fast. It passes reviews. And then—quietly—it degrades your systems, your standards, and your team's judgment.In The AI Developer's Field Guide, Volume I, Tim O'Brien names the patterns behind this new failure mode—and gives you a way to fight back.This first volume lays the foundation: a shared language for recognizing the anti-patterns of AI-assisted coding before they become standard operating procedure. Using an RPG-inspired framework of classes, artifacts, spells, and monsters, the book turns vague frustration into something you can actually talk about—and fix.You'll meet:The Fighter, Wizard, Rogue, and Cleric — developer archetypes shaped by AI under pressureThe monsters already creeping into your codebase: Congealing Slop, Probability Pixie, Phantom Intern, Scope Creep Kraken, and moreThese aren't jokes. They're patterns you'll recognize immediately—and start seeing everywhere. But this isn't just a taxonomy of failure.It's a field manual.Inside are:Pull request review prompts that catch AI-driven mistakes earlyTeam habits that prevent silent quality collapseDecision frameworks to separate real acceleration from expensive chaosIf you're leading a team, reviewing code, or trying to figure out whether AI is helping or quietly wrecking your engineering culture…This book gives you the language—and the leverage—to respond before it's too late.