AI ownership standard - own everything you submit

January 30, 2026 at 4:45 PMoperationalhigh

Situation

Engineers must fully own everything in documents and code they submit, regardless of whether AI generated it. Using AI is expected and assumed. Submitting AI output you dont understand or endorse is not acceptable. Quality and accountability matter, not authorship.

Reasoning

AI usage is table stakes - the expectation is everyone uses it. But AI cannot be an excuse for low quality or lack of understanding. If you submit something, you are accountable for it being correct, tested, usable, and deployable. The output standard remains the same regardless of how it was produced.

Additional Context

Discussion triggered by previous friction over a Jason Rodriguez document that contained AI-generated content Nathan hadnt fully vetted. Establishing clear standard going forward.

Observed Evidence

Nathan: "I dont care whether its AI or not... If youre going to write me a doc, own everything in it" and Peter: "Im going to treat it as if AI was not involved... the expectation is the expectation, and I dont care where the output comes from" and "Do you own it? Is the output right? Is the output tested? Is the output usable?"

Confidence Breakdown

33/35
Evidence
25/30
Pattern
19/20
Source
15/15
Corroboration

Source

reflection

AI Confidence

92%

Outcome

Fantastic discussion. How we think about output needs to change. Including how we think about the PR process.

Rating: 4/5

Decision ID: 3b514e93-db1c-4901-bb0e-eddad5bcff1f