As a Laravel-focused developer, I’ve been exploring how AI fits into the daily workflow—from writing boilerplate to debugging and refactoring. Here’s a practical take on where it helps and how to start.
Why Bother with AI as a Web Dev?
AI doesn’t replace solid fundamentals. It speeds up repetitive tasks, suggests tests, and helps explore new APIs or frameworks. For PHP and Laravel, that can mean faster feature scaffolding, clearer docblocks, and fewer “syntax rabbit holes.”
Ways I Use It Day to Day
I use AI to draft controller methods, generate Laravel migrations from descriptions, and rewrite comments for clarity. I always review and run tests—AI is a starting point, not the final source of truth.
Keeping Your Stack in Mind
When prompting, mention “Laravel,” “PHP 8,” or your DB so the output matches your stack. The more context you give, the more usable the code and the less time you spend fixing wrong assumptions.
"Use AI to move faster on the boring stuff so you can focus on architecture and product logic."
Next Steps
Try one workflow: e.g. “generate a Laravel policy for a Post model” or “suggest error messages for this form.” Run the code, adjust it, and see where it saves you time. If you’re curious about running models locally, check out my post on setting up Ollama for local LLMs.