Cognitive Sovereignty Self-Audit for Software Engineers
This audit measures whether you can still reason through code problems without reaching for AI first. It focuses on the engineering judgements that AI assistants now handle automatically, and whether those judgements are atrophying in your hands.
When Copilot or Cursor auto-suggests code, pause and ask yourself what you would write before looking at its suggestion. The gap between your answer and its answer is where you are learning or losing skills.
For critical code, write a comment explaining your logic before you write the code itself. This forces your own reasoning to happen before the AI generates anything. Review the AI output against your comment, not the other way around.
Pick one debugging session per week where you do not ask the AI for the answer. Use your debugger, print statements, and logical deduction. You need this skill sharp for production incidents.
When you review AI-generated architecture or schema decisions, sketch out your own version first on paper or a whiteboard. Compare the two before accepting the AI suggestion. You will notice patterns in what AI favours that might not suit your constraints.
Every month, refactor one piece of code that an AI assistant wrote without you fully understanding it. This teaches you what the AI did and strengthens the skill you need most: reading unfamiliar code under time pressure.