Here’s some practical tips:

Start small. Figure out what it (whatever tool you’re using) can do reliably at a quality level you’re comfortable with. Try other tools. There are tons. If it doesn’t get it right with the first prompt, iterate. Refine. Keep at it until you get there.

When you have seen some pattern work, do that a bunch. It won’t always work. Write rules / prompts / skills to try to get it to avoid making the mistakes you see. Keep doing this for a while and you’ll get into a groove.

Then try taking on bigger chunks of work at a time. Break apart a problem the same way you’d do it yourself first. Write a framework first. Build hello world. Write tests. Build the happy path. Add features. Don’t forget to make it write lots of tests. And run them. It’ll be lazy if you let it, so don’t let it. Each architectural step is not just a single prompt but a conversation with the output being a commit or a PR.

Also, use specs or plans heavily. Have a conversation with it about what you’re trying to do and different ways to do it. Their bias is to just code first and ask questions later. Fight that. Make it write a spec doc first and read it carefully. Tell it “don’t code anything but first ask me clarifying questions about the problem.” Works wonders.

As for convincing the AI haters they’re wrong? I seriously do. Not. Care. They’ll catch up. Or be out of a job. Not my problem.