AI-Assist in Firmware: Guardrails that Actually Work
AI can speed up firmware work if we constrain it. What works for me:
Where it helps
- Boilerplate drivers & unit-test scaffolds
- Log parsers and data munging
- Drafting ICD/ADR templates
Guardrails
- Test first: unit test or expected output before accepting AI code
- Static analysis + sanitizers as a gate (CI)
- Dual review for safety paths and memory-bound code
- Observability: DTCs + structured logs enable quick validation
Result
- Fewer low-severity review comments on drivers/tests
- Faster triage when combined with structured logs