As AI continues to advance, many are beginning to question whether it has the potential to replace human programmers. One such AI tool that has caught the attention of the programming community is ChatGPT, a large language model trained by OpenAI. So, what are the dynamics of using ChatGPT in programming?
AI-assisted programming has become increasingly prevalent in recent years, with various AI-powered tools offering developers new ways to streamline their workflows and create more effective and efficient code. But while ChatGPT can certainly make programming easier and more efficient, IT specialists say that it cannot completely replace the art of programming.
In this article, we explore how regional developers use the language model in their work, whether AI will replace developers, and review the benefits and limitations of AI-assisted programming.
Increased productivity and ease of work for newcomers
One of the main benefits of ChatGPT for developers is that it can significantly increase productivity. By automating certain tasks and providing suggestions for code completion and error correction, AI tools like ChatGPT can save developers a lot of time and effort. This allows developers to focus more on the creative aspects of programming, such as designing new features and functionality, and less on the more mundane aspects of writing code.
For many, using ChatGPT in programming is already proving very profitable. At the same time, those who do not start using such tools risk being left behind in an ever-changing job market.
“ChatGPT will have a bigger impact on the world than Google. I can’t even work without ChatGPT anymore. If I do, I will be 60-70% less productive. Not to mention that it can also be used as a tool for other professions such as journalism, essay writing, etc. It has already changed my life. Programmers who are less likely to change their ways of working, whether they like it or not, will eventually need to start using it in order to compete in the market,” said Viktor Stevich, UK-based senior flexible developer. , at The Recursive.
Additionally, AI-assisted programming can make it easier for new developers to learn the ropes, as newcomers can quickly become familiar with programming concepts and learn how to write effective code. This can reduce the learning curve and allow new developers to start contributing more quickly.
“It has great potential, we already see it with products like Copilot from GitHub. And while it can produce errors, overall I think it’s a very useful tool. It can also help less experienced developers. The other day I needed to build an app that performed a redundant task and ChatGPT coded it all up. To be honest, it didn’t work out of the box, but sending the errors to ChatGPT eventually debugged the app and it works, which I find amazing,” said Ivan Burazin, Director of Developer Experience at ‘Infobip (CDXO), at The Recursive.
Limitations and disadvantages that can lead to errors and defects
Although the advantages are quite clear, there are also a number of potential disadvantages to using ChatGPT in programming. On the one hand, AI might not be able to capture the full range of human creativity and intuition needed for programming, which could limit the range of solutions available and lead to a loss of diversity at the within the programming community.
Additionally, there is a risk that the AI will make errors that are difficult to detect, leading to bugs and other errors in the code. This could ultimately result in software that is less reliable or less secure than it should be, IT experts point out.
“It’s definitely something that can make a developer’s job easier in terms of basic, simple, repetitive tasks, or can help developers consider a different approach/path/direction to solve a debugging/programming problem without waste a lot of time searching online. However, since what it offers as a solution is not yet verified, the programmer must be experienced enough to know what this tool writes for him, if it is correct and safe , and to what extent he can use it in programming,” Ivana, a 28-year-old software developer based in Skopje, tells The Recursive.
To avoid such problems, there is a growing need for best practices for using these tools.
“People could definitely use some training on ChatGPT because how you ask the question is important to getting the answer you want. Otherwise, it would be counterproductive and a situation where a developer spends 4 hours explaining himself on ChatGPT,” she adds.
For skeptics such as software engineer Baze Chavkoski, using such tools is unnecessary because they are still very far from producing reliable answers. Until tools like ChatGPT also provide the sources of the information, this challenge will likely continue to hinder usage.
“You don’t know whether the answer is correct or not, it happens to give the answer with high certainty, but who has confirmed that such an answer is correct?” For example, when you read something in a textbook, you can see who the author is, which means there is responsibility for what is written there. So it’s something like fake news, you can never be sure what percentage you can trust the answer to. Of course, for simple things ChatGPT will be correct many times, but for complex things there will be errors, so you will always have to make sure and check it with another source,” Chavkoski tells The Recursive .
ChatGPT won’t replace human developers anytime soon
So, one thing experts agree on is that completely replacing developers with such AI tools might be overkill any time soon.
“I know people’s imaginations are running wild and there are ideas that this is going to displace developers soon, but I think we’re a long way from that – and we’re still a long way from being able to actually design a complex system by himself. » Burazin emphasizes.
As these tools continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, each day they prove more and more that they have the potential to revolutionize the way we approach programming and software development.
Whether they eventually replace human programmers or simply enhance their capabilities, one thing is certain: the use of ChatGPT in programming is here to stay and will continue to shape the future of technology in new ways.