Is It Okay to Use AI for Code Comments and README Files?

Using AI is fine as long as you review and edit everything it produces. A README should quickly explain why the project exists, how to install or run it, and what users can do with it. AI often makes documentation overly long or generic, so make sure the final version actually reflects your project.

There is no need to avoid AI just to prove a point, especially for personal projects. It can also help with changelogs, release notes, and documenting conventions. Just do not treat its output as automatically correct, and make sure you understand and can stand behind the final documentation.

Be careful with comments in particular. Comments should explain intent or a non-obvious decision, not simply restate what the code does. Automatically adding comments above every function can make a project harder to read. Write the important explanations yourself, then use AI to help polish them if needed.

The tool matters less than the quality of the result. If the documentation is accurate, concise, and useful, most people will not care whether AI helped write it. You are still responsible for checking every claim and correcting anything the AI misunderstood.

Some readers may judge AI-generated documentation as impersonal or low-effort, particularly if it is obviously generic. Even if AI creates the first draft, add the project-specific details, explain the motivation, and keep the instructions practical. That effort is what gives the project credibility.