# A Framework for Assessing Software Tolerance When Using AI Agents

DevFeed: [A Framework for Assessing Software Tolerance When Using AI Agents](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/a-framework-for-engineering-variance-with-ai-agents-27351.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://blog.mmckenna.me/the-piston-and-the-cup-holder>)

Author: Matt McKenna

Published: 2025-12-04T13:15:03Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Matt McKenna](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/matt-mckenna.md>)

Topics: [Artificial Intelligence](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai.md>), [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [Framework](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/framework.md>), [Software](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software.md>)

Tags: [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-agents.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [llm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/llm.md>), [software-development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-development.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>), [tool](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tool.md>), [variance](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/variance.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion article proposes evaluating software components by their tolerance for logical error and change before using AI tools. It argues that probabilistic AI is better suited to high-tolerance work, while low-tolerance areas such as payments, encryption, mathematics, and idempotency require binary correctness.

## Source excerpt

The Piston and the Cup Holder In mechanical engineering, "tolerance" is the permissible limit of variation in a physical dimension. It is the acknowledgement that the world isn't perfect, and designs needs to account for that. A plastic cup holder in...