Jacob Rockowitz: Vibing Drupal: Switching from "Brat mode" to "Drupal mode"

As I've been experimenting with different AI models, I've observed varying behaviors. For example, I like the price point and the reasonable output from GPT-6 Luna. On Reddit, many people recommend running it at max, so I tried it. I assumed Luna Max would yield better results. Instead, it would take an unreasonable amount of time to respond, with not much better code. Because I am using AI as a coding assistant, speed matters. Luna Max may be better suited for autonomous coding agents.

I'm starting to feel like I have to track different models and modes, as if I were on a dating app looking for someone I'd be compatible with. Yes, I am humanizing AI, even though it is just an advanced pattern-recognition machine. Still, I recently discovered that AI can get stubborn and enter "Brat mode."

Brat mode

On one of the many AI-related podcasts I was listening to, someone shared a tip: if your AI gets stubborn and frustrating, clear the context and start a new session. Their theory was that the AI gets locked in a negative feedback loop and, instead of trying to please you, it leans into frustrating you. I am calling this "Brat mode."

I ran into "Brat mode" while trying to fix a simple report with duplicate records that needed a minor query tweak and some display adjustments. My prompt was matter-of-fact, but the AI would still make one change and then revert another. I caught myself asking the AI, "Why did you revert our recent changes? Please restore them," and the AI failed to explain or fix the problem. It felt like I was dealing with a stubborn child who was enjoying my frustration. Yep, I got frustrated. Fortunately, I knew better than to play this game, so I had the AI create a slightly better prompt, started a new session using the improved prompt, and the AI fixed the issue immediately.

This experience with AI's "Brat mode" made me start to...Read More