Modern Developer's Valentine: Why I’m Finally "Committing" to AI

Image of a screen, with the "Oh AI, How do I love thee" poem and an AI generated blue rose
Oh AI, How Do I Love Thee?

By Eugenio Pello

Our Project Manager recently wrote a poem about their love for AI (something about debugging and coffee—it was quite moving). As a Full Stack Engineer, my relationship with AI is a little... more complicated.

(Click below to see the poem.)

❤️ Oh AI, how do I love thee? ❤️

By Jana Diamond, PMP

Oh AI, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee in the morning with Alexa while my coffee brews.
I love thee at noon when Amazon finds the LaBubu I choose.
I love thee in the evening with Google and my stock market news.

Oh ChatGPT, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee when my code you patiently debug.
I love thee when my charts and deadlines you unplug.
I love thee when my weekly reports you chug — like caffeine in a mug.

Oh AI, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
In prompts and scripts, in graphs and logs,
In tasks and queries, replies and digital fogs.
From the morning’s first beep to the night’s last deep blue screen,
You are my helper, my guide — my silent machine.

It’s not just a "crush" on a chatbot anymore. In 2026, it’s a full-time partnership. But like any good relationship, it takes work, boundaries, and a lot of communication.

 💌 1. Beyond the "Honeymoon Phase"

When Generative AI first arrived, we were all in the honeymoon phase. We asked for a script, it gave us a script, and we were in awe. But as every engineer knows, real life isn't a poem.

Last year, I realized that "loving" AI isn't about letting it do everything; it’s about trust, but verify. I don’t love AI because it’s perfect; I love it because it’s the ultimate "Pair Programmer." It handles the boilerplate and the "digital fog", so I can focus on the high-level architecture.

 🧩 2. Learning the "Language of Love" (Prompting & Agents)

I’ve spent years learning languages like TypeScript and Python. But this year, I’ve had to learn a new way of communicating: Orchestration.

 Developing with AI in 2026 is like being in a long-term relationship. You have to:

 ✅ Set Clear Expectations: (Guardrails)

 ✅ Give Feedback: (Iterative loops)

 ✅Know When to Step In: (Human-in-the-loop)

My "Aha!" moment this month wasn't just getting an AI to write code—it was building an Agentic Workflow that actually understood the intent of my project. It wasn't just "patiently debugging" as the poem says; it was anticipating the edge cases before I even hit 'Save.'

❤️ 3. Why This Partnership Wins

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I’ve realized that my "silent machine" is more than a helper. It’s a force multiplier.

I love AI because it allows me to be a "Full Stack Engineer" in the truest sense—moving faster from a backend logic problem to a frontend UI fix without losing momentum.

At Protovate, we aren't just using AI because it's trendy. We’re building these "relationships" into our products. We are designing systems where AI handles the heavy lifting, allowing our human teams to do what they do best: Innovate and Create.

This Valentine’s Day, I’m celebrating the fact that the "Digital Fog" is clearing, and the future of development looks a lot like a well-coordinated team.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the developers and their "silent machines" out there! 💻

Originally published on Protovate.AI

Protovate builds practical AI-powered software for complex, real-world environments. Led by Brian Pollack and a global team with more than 30 years of experience, Protovate helps organizations innovate responsibly, improve efficiency, and turn emerging technology into solutions that deliver measurable impact.

Over the decades, the Protovate team has worked with organizations including NASA, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Walmart, Covidien, Singtel, LG, Yahoo, and Lowe’s.

About the Authors

Author

Eugenio Pello

Full Stack Engineer at Protovate

Eugenio Pello is a Full Stack Engineer at Protovate with a focus on modern front-end development and emerging AI-driven systems. With a background in React, Next.js, and TypeScript, he’s particularly interested in bridging traditional software engineering with the future of intelligent agents. A lifelong learner and builder, Eugenio brings both technical curiosity and strategic thinking to everything he works on. Outside of development, he’s a dedicated football fan who believes great software—like a great match—comes down to strategy and teamwork.

Author

Jana Diamond, PMP

Technical Project Manager at Protovate

Jana Diamond, PMP, is a Technical Project Manager at Protovate with a career spanning software development and Department of Defense programs. She’s known for bridging technical detail with practical execution—and for asking the questions that keep projects honest. When she’s not working, she’s likely reading science fiction or hunting down her next salt and pepper shaker set.

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