Covering Disruptive Technology Powering Business in The Digital Age

Written By: Rob Newell, VP of Customer Adoption, New Relic

The role of developers in the current Artificial Intelligence (AI) era is undergoing a profound transformation—one that promises to revolutionise how software is built and maintained. However, amidst the hype and headlines, there is a common misconception that AI is set to replace developers altogether.

As AI technologies continue to evolve, developers are discovering newfound efficiencies and capabilities that redefine their day-to-day tasks. With digital tools now more responsive to us than ever before, the potential for AI is clear. But AI is not a substitute for developers but more a catalyst for increasing velocity in software development.

Some Fear Layoffs for Developers, Others See AI Streamlining Workflows

Getting ahead of AI adoption is crucial to stay competitive. Developers are the architects of digital innovation, possessing unique problem-solving skills, creativity, and domain expertise. AI is going to change the ways software development teams design, develop, document, deliver, and debug software.

Consider the traditional tasks that developers often find themselves grappling with, such as writing unit tests or scaffolding out code for new projects. These are essential but time-consuming tasks that can detract from more creative and strategic aspects of development.

For example, by being able to instruct an AI assistant to scaffold out the foundational code on a new project saves precious time and mental workload. This reduced time to value empowers developers to accelerate project kickoffs and devote more attention to strategic decision-making and design considerations.

The demand for this in observability is going to be huge, AI-driven tools improve data observability and provide real-time visibility into data pipelines by automating the monitoring, analysis, and detection of issues across workflows, no matter how large-scale and complex the operations.

Repetitive tasks like unit testing and code generation can be automated, freeing developers for the creative, problem-solving aspects they excel at. This “increased velocity” can lead to faster development cycles and quicker innovation. Consequently, we may witness a surge in the adoption of AI assistants like Copilot and GPT tooling, as developers embrace these innovative tools to enhance their workflows and boost their productivity.

The Opportunities for AI in Software

As AI continues to evolve and mature, companies are still navigating the best fit for these technologies. Experimentation with AI tools is on the rise as developers seek ways to optimise their processes. For example consider leveraging AI to create a personalised documentation assistant, capable of synthesising vast amounts of information into actionable insights.

Instead of sifting through extensive documentation manually, developers can query an AI-powered tool for specific information or guidance and create a type of LLM (Large Language Model) based on existing documentation. The potential for this AI assistant to bypass a lot of mundane work that saves hours of time and enhances knowledge retrieval is immense, and we will see a major uptick in adoption of this across the industry.

Is AI the Silver Bullet?

A recent report indicated that Asian businesses have the global lead in AI adoption. Within the region, there is a significant push towards digital-first approaches driven by a young and growing tech-savvy consumer base that readily adopts new technologies.

“As AI technologies continue to evolve, developers are discovering newfound efficiencies and capabilities that redefine their day-to-day tasks. With digital tools now more responsive to us than ever before, the potential for AI is clear.”

However, it is important to remember that we are still in the early stages of AI integration in software development with many limitations. There are still underlying issues about bias, privacy, and accuracy. AI cannot replace software engineers in its current state because of these reasons:

Rob Newell, VP of Customer Adoption, New Relic

1. Generated code is inaccurate and requires human review.
2. AI is more suited to established functions with a simple progression of steps.
3. AI requires prompt engineers to provide specific inputs for desired outputs.

Ultimately, due diligence is required, and developers will need to be vigilant in double-checking AI-generated code. Another key consideration is around the ethical use of AI. Organisations need to establish responsible AI principles to make sure they are safeguarding customer data and using the tools ethically.

AI is a powerful tool, but it is a tool nonetheless, and developers must keep a watchful eye on AI and all its quirks. Companies that view it as a replacement for the human workforce are missing the mark because it is not there yet. Companies that invest in increased automation and AI together will amplify the impact human developers make.

Developers should embrace AI as a teammate, not a replacement, but as a tool to increase velocity because in the pursuit of innovation, collaboration is key.

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