Don't build an AI that replays yesterday's spec — the gap between spec and source of truth is the real context

📰 Dev.to AI

Learn to identify the gap between spec and source of truth in AI development to create more effective and context-aware AI systems

intermediate Published 19 May 2026

Action Steps

Identify the spec and source of truth in your AI project
Analyze the gap between the spec and source of truth
Use visualizations like the drift curve to understand the context
Apply the five-whys method to determine the root cause of discrepancies
Implement a context-aware approach to AI development using the Harness concentric layers framework

Who Needs to Know This

AI engineers, data scientists, and product managers can benefit from understanding the importance of context in AI development to build more accurate and reliable systems

Key Insight

💡 The gap between spec and source of truth is the real context in AI development