Yes, human code review is back. AI is allowed to help, but we require that two actual humans actually understand every change. And yeah, it did speed things up. Not the rate at which we were shipping code, of course. But the rate at which we were shipping usable product.

This is actually in line with a well-established Six Sigma practice. When you've got a poorly performing value chain, the first thing to do is find out which step is struggling and then force the step immediately before it to slow down. If the reason why isn't obvious, search for a clip of the I Love Lucy chocolate factory scene on YouTube for a perfect explanation.