Generative artificial intelligence has perhaps been the most significant technological innovation of recent years. It has impacted every professional field: marketing, content creation, writing, SEO, audiovisual editing, and more. Of course, the tech sector hasn’t been exempt from this, especially software development.
The world of development is constantly evolving, and generative AI is emerging as a transformative force. According to NN Group data, in the area of software development, AI increases productivity by 66%. No more, no less.
Today, we’ll discuss the current contributions of artificial intelligence in the development field and the tangible benefits it offers developers in their day-to-day work.
1. Automation of Repetitive Tasks
There are many repetitive tasks in a developer’s workday. We’re talking about writing code, generating error tests, documenting software… With generative AI, developers can free themselves from these tasks and dedicate time to activities that require a more creative and strategic focus, such as designing new applications and solving complex problems.
One example of this is AI’s ability to translate natural language into code. If you need to convert temperature units, you can simply write the following in natural language: “Create a function that converts Fahrenheit to Celsius.” AI will interpret this and automatically generate the necessary code.
In addition to optimizing developers’ time, the automation of repetitive tasks minimizes the chances of human error in programming, which strengthens code quality.
2. Faster Information Searches
In software development, and probably in every professional field, finding the right information at the right time is essential. In this sense, AI can help developers quickly find the information they need from the vast amount of resources available online.
This is possible thanks to natural language processing techniques that understand developers’ search queries and provide relevant results, all in real-time.
Instead of manually searching through lengthy documents, you can simply write a natural language query like, “Show me recent use cases of X.” Obviously, the more detailed the prompt, the better the result, but you get the idea: AI can be a great assistant for finding information on the internet.
3. More Comprehensive Thinking
AI can help developers think more comprehensively and creatively by offering new perspectives and solutions to problems. This is possible through the use of machine learning techniques to analyze large datasets of code and software.
Moreover, AI can deliver results in different formats for you to analyze and evaluate in various ways. It can generate a list of ideas for you, create tables of content, sketch out mind maps or concept maps, and more. It can even simulate a conversation with you.
All of this can broaden your perspective and help you consider possibilities that you might not have thought of otherwise.
4. Continuous Maintenance and Improvement
AI can help developers maintain and improve software continuously by automatically identifying errors, vulnerabilities, and optimization opportunities. This can help reduce maintenance costs and improve overall software quality.
Artificial intelligence can monitor software performance in real-time and propose solutions to improve efficiency and user experience. Additionally, AI systems can analyze user feedback and suggest updates and improvements based on identified preferences and needs.
5. Code Optimization with AI
What seemed impossible years ago is now a reality. Artificial intelligence can be used to optimize code automatically, making it more efficient and easier to maintain.
Specifically, AI can offer suggestions, complete lines or entire blocks of code, or even generate a complete code from the instructions given by the developer.
The foundation of this capability lies in AI’s ability to analyze large datasets of code and its way of learning through machine learning models.
6. Code Testing
AI can be used to create different code tests automatically. Specifically, it can analyze the code and generate different inputs for greater coverage in the early stages of development. Beyond that, AI can analyze the results generated by the tests and create fully automated reports with little or no human intervention.
All of this will greatly help identify potential problems that could be more difficult to resolve later on and, in general, create a better product, as well as free programmers from some tedious tasks.
7. Code Translation
Translating code from one programming language to another is a time-consuming activity that can be prone to errors. In this scenario, AI tools can perform the process more quickly and accurately, and by being used under best practice guidelines, the highest quality standards can be maintained.
Additionally, as companies look to update their platforms, AI can also support the migration of old systems to more modern ones.
Generative AI is becoming increasingly important in the world of software development. From information retrieval to code creation, review, and optimization, artificial intelligence is becoming one of the best allies programmers can have to carry out their tasks.
At Coderslab, we leverage various AI tools to streamline processes and optimize project development, maintaining a balance between experience and the human touch with the automation and optimization capabilities that technology can offer. Our teams are always ready to explore and integrate the best tools to become better every day.
