Why AI-Assisted Coding Shifts Engineering Governance From Code to Intent

As AI systems can now generate thousands of lines of code from structured descriptions, traditional code review is losing its role as the primary governance mechanism in software engineering. The author, who runs an AI-native delivery operation, argues that human intent — the decisions about what should be built, under what constraints, and who is accountable — is now the scarcer and more valuable artifact. Unlike generated code, intent cannot be automated away because models cannot own responsibility or answer to auditors. The piece proposes that engineering organizations should treat versioned, reviewed, and signed intent specifications as the authoritative artifact of record, with generated code serving as a governed output of that intent. Tools and processes built around code generation are seen as depreciating assets, while governance frameworks anchored to human accountability are expected to grow in value.