I can't code.
This year I shipped 5 projects with AI.
One of them could have shown my users each other's accounts. No error. No warning. The AI never mentioned it.
8 mistakes I made so you don't have to
Save this before your next AI project:
1. Ask "what could leak?"
2. Spec before code
3. Secrets out of chat
4. Know your folder
5. Legal > possible
6. Fewer screens
7. Show a reference
8. You're the boss
Mistake 8: thinking AI is the boss.
AI writes the code. You decide what's worth building, what's safe, and when it's done.
Which mistake would've saved you the most time? Reply with a number π
Mistake 7: "make it look modern."
That gets you the same design as everyone else.
Fix: send a link to a site you love and say "match this layout and colors."
Mistake 4: not checking WHERE the AI runs commands.
My whole home folder was secretly a git repo. One "git add ." away from committing my personal files.
Mistake 3: pasting API keys into the chat.
It feels faster. It's how keys end up public on GitHub.
Fix: keep secrets in a password manager. Give the AI the variable name, never the value.
Mistake 2: "build me X."
No plan β the AI guesses β you spend days fixing its guesses.
Fix: a 1-page spec first. What it does, who it's for, and what it will NOT do.
Caveat: these are DeepSeek's own numbers. Opus 5 still wins 7 of 11.
But the gap between free and paid AI keeps shrinking.
Which AI do you use every day?
Before: smart AI = monthly subscription.
Now: free, open weights, MIT license. Download it, use it, even for business.
Bonus: shorter answers β faster and cheaper.