AI Fix vs. Human Fix: Who’s Better at Securing Code?

There was a time when only security experts could fix vulnerabilities in code. But with the rise of AI-powered remediation tools, that time is changing fast. Teams are now asking: Can an AI really fix security issues as well as a human? The answer isn’t black and white — but in many cases, AI remediation tools like Mobb are faster, safer, and more scalable than manual review alone. In this article, we’ll break down the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches — and show where AI is already outperforming human remediation.

The Human Fix: Accurate, But Time-Consuming

Manual remediation has long been the gold standard. Security engineers review code, understand the business logic, and apply highly contextual fixes. But that process comes with tradeoffs:

Pros:

• Deep understanding of application context
• Can weigh business logic and custom use cases
• Flexible decision-making

Cons:

• Extremely time-intensive
• Not scalable for large codebases or frequent releases
• Delayed fixes lead to growing backlogs and missed SLAs

For more on backlog reduction, see: 5 Problems AI Code Fixing Solves for AppSec Teams.

The AI Fix: Fast, Consistent, and Scalable

AI-powered remediation tools like Mobb use deterministic logic to apply secure code fixes at scale. Instead of asking developers to copy and paste or decipher scanner output, Mobb fixes the vulnerabilities directly in the repository or pull request.

Pros:

• Fixes vulnerabilities in seconds
• Integrates natively into developer workflows
• Consistently applies safe, proven remediation patterns
• Ideal for repetitive or low-complexity issues
• Auto-triages false positives and flags real risk

Cons:

• Doesn’t yet replace human judgment in complex, novel edge cases
• Needs to be integrated properly into CI/CD to maximize value

Curious how this works in practice? Read: How One Team Fixed Thousands of AI-Created Vulnerabilities in a Week.

When to Use AI Fixes vs. Human Review

Here’s a simple way to decide which approach is best, based on the scenario:

• Use AI Fixes when:
  • You’re dealing with high-volume, repetitive vulnerabilities (e.g., input validation, configuration issues)
  • You need to remediate vulnerabilities quickly to meet compliance or audit deadlines
  • Your backlog includes known issues with consistent fix patterns
  • You’re fixing AI-generated code from tools like Copilot or ChatGPT — especially for common misconfigurations or outdated libraries
• Use Human Review when:
  • You’re working with legacy code that lacks context or documentation
  • A vulnerability involves complex business logic or custom edge cases
  • You need to assess risk tradeoffs that require nuanced decision-making
  • You’re validating high-impact code changes before production deployment
• Use Both (Hybrid Approach) when:
  • You want to let AI fix what it can while surfacing complex issues to human reviewers
  • You’re scaling across teams but still want oversight for critical systems

For related context, see: Secure AI-Generated Code in Modern Development Pipelines.

How Mobb Bridges the Gap

Mobb isn’t trying to replace your AppSec engineers — it’s helping them move faster by handling the low-risk, high-volume vulnerabilities automatically. Mobb:

• Triages SAST results and filters out false positives
• Applies deterministic fixes directly into your GitHub/GitLab repo
• Works inside your pipeline, reducing MTTR without disrupting developers
• Flags edge cases for manual review, so humans focus only where they’re needed

Learn how it all works in: The Complete Guide to AI-Powered Code Remediation

The Future Is Hybrid: AI + Human Oversight

The best security teams aren’t choosing between AI and human remediation — they’re combining both. AI handles the volume. Humans handle the nuance. Together, they build a workflow that’s fast, accurate, and scalable.

See more on this shift in: Why AI Code Fixing Is the Future of AppSec.

Conclusion: Don’t Choose — Optimize

Manual remediation isn’t dead. But in today’s fast-paced world, it can’t be your only tool. AI fixes — when implemented with care — are safe, scalable, and a critical part of modern AppSec strategy. Mobb helps you harness AI remediation without sacrificing control, quality, or speed.

🔧 Try Mobb today and see how much your team can fix — automatically. Start here.