Clean Code Author Robert Martin Skips Reading AI-Generated Code, Relies on Tests

Robert Martin, veteran software engineer and author of 'Clean Code', has shared his current approach to working with AI coding agents. Rather than reviewing the code they produce, Martin says he deliberately avoids reading it altogether. Instead, he surrounds AI agents with a strict framework of quality controls, including unit tests, Gherkin tests, mutation testing, and coverage metrics. He argues this gauntlet of constraints gives him high confidence in the output without needing to inspect it line by line. Martin, who began coding in the late 1960s, says this strategy is the only way he can fully leverage the productivity gains AI agents offer.