The Future of Software Development and AI - Developer's Perspective

AI has become an essential resource for developers, unlocking new unknown opportunities. So what's the future of software development in the age of AI?

Transforming user interaction and development

In machine learning (often called AI) there are currently many significant changes that accelerate the progress in this field. Machine learning models already existed for decades, but the fact that you can now talk to them in a natural language - English or any other language spoken on our planet - is a game changer of the largest scale. This is the progress towards a more natural and comfortable way of communicating with artificial intelligence. This holds great potential both for developers and users of developed software, but I’ll come back to that.

The dynamic advancement of this technology has exceeded our expectations, surprising even experts. Surveys done by mckinsey.com among scientists really show how fast things are moving. The results not only reflect this phenomenon but also confirm that we are witnessing a remarkable transformation in how this technology is utilized. The natural language significantly reduced the entry threshold to work with artificial intelligence models and provided immense possibilities, even for those who are not technically educated.

AI and software development: a perfect partnership

The next generation of artificial intelligence solutions are natural assistants and helpers in software development. Even at the most basic level, AI is not just a helper, but it is an essential part that accelerates and simplifies developers' work.

A perfect example of this is Copilot by GitHub/Microsoft, which seamlessly integrates with popular programming environments (IDEs) and actively assists in the code-writing process, greatly enhancing productivity.

Another excellent example is Gemini Code Assist on the GCloud platform, which not only speeds up code generation but also ensures adherence to security principles and facilitates knowledge extraction from documentation, a crucial element in creating high-quality software.

Additionally, it's worth noting that artificial intelligence can be incredibly helpful in writing documentation and function descriptions. With AI-based tools, the text creation process can be significantly sped up, enabling programmers and creators to efficiently document their projects without spending a lot of time on text editing. I'll admit right here that I used AI assistance for formatting this article 🙂 All these new AI solutions not only predict what programmers need, but they also actively help to satisfy this need and create a new dimension in the future of programming.

Improving speed and quality in software development

Development tools, like those mentioned earlier, allow software development teams to save valuable time, which can be allocated to other important aspects of their work. With a more efficient code creation process, teams can focus on activities such as A/B testing, product research, and developing more tailored solutions for users. Improvements in the speed and quality of software development contribute to faster product delivery to the market and enable better utilization of saved time and financial resources for other stages of project development.

Sometimes, we hear opinions that artificial intelligence will take the place of programmers’ work. I think that AI can assist programmers in their work by taking over simple, repetitive tasks, and letting them concentrate on more creative and innovative parts of their job.

Source: McKinsey Global Institute

The future of AI in software development

Adopting artificial intelligence can significantly speed up the initial stages of projects, enabling faster creation of application "skeletons" such as controllers, data models, or routing. With AI-based tools, these components can be automatically generated or assisted, reducing the time needed for their implementation. However, key project aspects like designing user interfaces, defining business logic, or data modeling still require human involvement and creativity. In this way, artificial intelligence supports project initiation processes, allowing programmers to focus on more "ambitious" aspects of implementation.

AI-Driven Applications

It's important to realize that in the future, apps won't just be made for regular users, but also for other apps using AI tech. That means user interfaces will need to follow certain rules so AI can use them properly. This change highlights the need for apps that aren't just easy for people to use, but also provide data and features in a way that AI can understand. 

An example of this could be a FAQ page, which won't need to focus on perfect formatting, but rather on tailoring content for AI models to answer user questions based on its content. As a result, traditional aspects of UX and text formatting may become less important, overshadowed by new priorities related to adapting to the requirements of artificial intelligence.

A new era of internet

What is more, we should notice, that as internet users we will start using it in a whole new way. This transition can be compared with the one we experienced in the past, related to switching from books, which we used to find interesting information, to internet search engines, which Google led to success. The next natural step will be using assistants to find interesting information. We can already see such phenomena as Google Gemini Code Assistant, but the future will bring this transformation on a much bigger scale. Who knows… maybe the next generations will independently set up AI models, adjusting them to their needs and preferences.

That’s why, in my opinion, we will still need developers, who possess the skills and knowledge required to lead this technological revolution, creating new tools and applications, that will adjust to the changing needs of society and deliver innovative solutions for the future.

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