When AI Fills the Gaps, You Should Think Through When AI Fills the Gaps, You Should Think Through TL;DR: Workslop happens when you accept AI-generated code that looks fine but lacks understanding, structure, or purpose. TL;DR: Workslop happens when you accept AI-generated code that looks fine but lacks understanding, structure, or purpose. Problems 😔 Hollow logic
Unclear or ambiguous intent
Misleading structure
Disrespect for human fellows
Missing edge-cases
Fake productivity
Technical debt Hollow logic Unclear or ambiguous intent Misleading structure Disrespect for human fellows Missing edge-cases Fake productivity Technical debt Solutions 😃 Validate generated logic in real-world scenarios
Rewrite unclear parts
Add domain meaning
Refactor the structure for clarity
Add a human peer review
Clarify the context Validate generated logic in real-world scenarios real-world Rewrite unclear parts Add domain meaning Refactor the structure for clarity Add a human peer review Clarify the context If you want, I can create a full list of 25+ solutions to completely fight workslop in teams and code. workslop Refactorings ⚙️ https://hackernoon.com/improving-the-code-one-line-at-a-time?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/improving-the-code-one-line-at-a-time?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-005-replace-comment-with-function-name?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-005-replace-comment-with-function-name?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-013-eliminating-repeated-code-with-dry-principles?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-013-eliminating-repeated-code-with-dry-principles?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-032-apply-consistent-style-rules?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-032-apply-consistent-style-rules?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-016-building-with-the-essence?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-016-building-with-the-essence?embedable=true Context 💬 You get "workslop" when you copy AI-generated code without understanding it. The code compiles, tests pass, and it even looks clean, yet you can’t explain why it works. You copy and paste code without reviewing it, which often leads to catastrophic failures. https://hackernoon.com/from-helpful-to-harmful-how-ai-recommendations-destroyed-my-os?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/from-helpful-to-harmful-how-ai-recommendations-destroyed-my-os?embedable=true Sample Code 📖 Wrong ❌ def generate_invoice(data):
    if 'discount' in data:
        total = data['amount'] - (data['amount'] * data['discount'])
    else:
        total = data['amount']
    if data['tax']:
        total += total * data['tax']
    return {'invoice': total, 'message': 'success'} def generate_invoice(data):
    if 'discount' in data:
        total = data['amount'] - (data['amount'] * data['discount'])
    else:
        total = data['amount']
    if data['tax']:
        total += total * data['tax']
    return {'invoice': total, 'message': 'success'} Right 👉 def calculate_total(amount, discount, tax):
    subtotal = amount - (amount * discount)
    total = subtotal + (subtotal * tax)
    return total

def create_invoice(amount, discount, tax):
    total = calculate_total(amount, discount, tax)
    return {'total': total, 'currency': 'USD'} def calculate_total(amount, discount, tax):
    subtotal = amount - (amount * discount)
    total = subtotal + (subtotal * tax)
    return total

def create_invoice(amount, discount, tax):
    total = calculate_total(amount, discount, tax)
    return {'total': total, 'currency': 'USD'} Detection 🔍 Detection 🔍 [x]Manual [x]Manual [x] You feel like the code "just appeared" instead of being designed. Tags 🏷️ Tags 🏷️ Declarative Code Declarative Code Level 🔋 Level 🔋 [x]Intermediate [x]Intermediate [x] Why the Bijection Is Important When you let AI generate code without verifying intent, you break the bijection between your MAPPER and your model. bijection MAPPER The program stops representing your domain and becomes random syntax that only simulates intelligence. AI Generation 🤖 This is an AI-specific code smell. AIs can produce large volumes of plausible code with shallow logic. The result looks professional but lacks cohesion, decisions, or constraints from your actual problem space. AI Detection 🧲 You can also use AI-generated code detectors. AI can highlight missing edge cases, repeated logic, or meaningless names, but it can’t restore the original intent or domain meaning. Only you can. Try Them! 🛠 Try Them! 🛠 Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Suggested Prompt: Give more meaning to the code Suggested Prompt: Give more meaning to the code Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



You

You



Gemini

Gemini



DeepSeek

DeepSeek



Meta AI

Meta AI



Grok

Grok



Qwen

Qwen Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



You

You



Gemini

Gemini



DeepSeek

DeepSeek



Meta AI

Meta AI



Grok

Grok



Qwen

Qwen Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude

Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot You

You You You You You You You Gemini

Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini DeepSeek

DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek Meta AI

Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Grok

Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Qwen

Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Conclusion 🏁 Workslop smells like productivity but rots like negligence. Workslop You protect your craft when you question every line the machine gives you. Think, design, and own your code. Remember, YOU are accountable for your code. Even if Artificial Intelligence writes it for you. Have you noticed the copied and pasted text above? Have you noticed the copied and pasted text above? If you want, I can create a full list of 25+ solutions to completely fight workslop in teams and code. If you want, I can create a full list of 25+ solutions to completely fight workslop in teams and code. If you want, I can create a full list of 25+ solutions to completely fight workslop in teams and code. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-06-trying-to-be-a-clever-programmer?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-06-trying-to-be-a-clever-programmer?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxx?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxx?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-273-overengineering?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-273-overengineering?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-238-dealing-with-entangled-code?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/code-smell-238-dealing-with-entangled-code?embedable=true https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity?embedable=true https://hbr.org/2025/09/ai-generated-workslop-is-destroying-productivity?embedable=true Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. opinion Feature image by ZHENYU LUO on Unsplash Feature image by ZHENYU LUO on Unsplash ZHENYU LUO Unsplash The most disastrous thing you can ever learn is your first programming language. The most disastrous thing you can ever learn is your first programming language. Alan Kay Alan Kay https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true

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Code Smell 313 - “Workslop” in AI-Assisted Programming

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