Much has been said and written about Generative AI (GenAI) since the technology suddenly became known to the public following the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. But like most new technologies, it takes a while to understand what tools we can use (or misuse) for. GenAI also offers a number of new options for software developers that significantly improve the quality of products and work.

Everywhere we see great examples of situations where collaboration between humans and AI produces better results than they could achieve individually. This certainly applies to programming and software development. It is a sector that creates great value for users by automating manual and repetitive tasks. But ironically, until recently this actually required a lot of manual work for solution developers.

Write and maintain code with GenAI

Remember to write boilerplate code. This is a relatively simple and standardized process that you must go through when developing a new product or feature. That certainly doesn’t make the developer’s heart beat faster. Therefore, it seems very suitable for a Large Language Model (LLM) that can recognize both linguistic and numerical patterns using machine learning. Such a model can then generate boilerplate code itself. The entire process is automated, allowing developers to focus on more important tasks.

AI tools also help developers with other cumbersome and time-consuming processes, such as debugging code. They also often provide good troubleshooting suggestions. In addition, they provide support in writing tests and documentation, which is crucial for maintaining quality and extending the life of the code.

Advantages of AI in software development

Visma employs around 4,500 software developers who create business-critical software. They eagerly use technology to continually improve and streamline processes. These are some of the insights into the use of AI that arise from it:

• AI increases efficiency: 85% of developers find that their work is more efficient since using available AI tools. Some even claim that they develop code up to 50% faster than before.
• AI leads to better products: Greater efficiency enables greater focus on the quality of the products that support developers – without the need to hire new employees. Additional AI functionalities also ensure that users of the software can automate more tasks and get more value from the technology.
• AI makes work more pleasant: Teams that are the first to use AI tools demonstrate higher job satisfaction and professional growth. AI therefore also has a positive impact on employee productivity and engagement.

Developers have to reinvent themselves

While AI tools help streamline development processes, it is of course important not to lose sight of the quality and security of the code. Finally, AI-generated code is not always safer or more reliable than code from a human developer. This should therefore be viewed as a suggestion and not an absolute solution.

It is therefore important to remain vigilant, but this does not change the fact that the possibilities of AI are becoming ever greater. In the long term, it may even be possible to significantly accelerate technological modernizations – such as switching from old to new technology – and make them significantly safer with the help of AI.

As AI becomes more sophisticated, developers must also reinvent themselves. With the rapid development of LLMs like ChatGPT and other commercial AI tools, the demand for developers who are just good at programming will be less. Additionally, there will be more demand for “product engineers.” Those who understand customer needs, product strategy and the effective use of AI are best equipped to develop the innovative solutions of the future.

This is a post by Alexander Lystad, CTO at Visma. Click here for more information about the SaaS solutions the company offers.