Chat GPT: Should software developers be worried?

Software developers pride themselves on their technical skill and creativity – but do generative AI models like ChatGPT put these attributes at risk?

Since being released by OpenAI in late 2022, ChatGPT has captured the world’s interest. The chatbot’s use case is too varied to list, but it’s becoming clearer by the day that the technology is more than just a novelty. AI will transform jobs across the board, with software development being no exception. For both aspiring and veteran coders though, the technology could be more boon than curse.

·??????ChatGPT can write code, but its capabilities are currently limited – however, the recent arrival of GPT-4 and plugins demonstrate the tech’s increasing maturity.

·??????Rather than replacing developers, ChatGPT is a potential productivity tool that can be a catalyst for creativity.

·??????Easily accessible and user-friendly, advanced AI could open up software development to a new generation.

Can ChatGPT really write code?

ChatGPT is equally adept at creating poetry as it is long-form marketing copy, but can it really write code? It only seemed fair to ask the chatbot itself, which replied:

“Yes, I can write code in various programming languages. However, I am primarily designed to assist with natural language processing tasks, and my ability to write code is limited to text-based languages.”

According to technical users, this modest response is, so far, accurate. Yes, ChatGPT can auto-generate code, and recognises a host of common languages – such as Python, Java, C#, Swift and Kotlin – but it’s not yet capable of creating complex software from scratch. The chatbot is prone to making mistakes, and its two-year-old training data leans on some outdated conventions and links.

Plugins prove ChatGPT’s future potential

However, OpenAI have lent their powerful tech to GitHub Copilot, an aptly named AI tool specifically designed with software developers in mind. Trained on billions of lines of code, Copilot offers users contextual suggestions as they type, akin to predictive texting for software development. While this might be the AI tool of choice for professional developers, the caveat here is that it’s not a natural language chatbot. If you don’t know code, you’ll hit a wall.

What’s clear though, is that OpenAI’s maturing tech is offering developers more options. With the arrival of the GPT-4, a premium version of ChatGPT released in March, OpenAI have given their chatbot access to a host of third-party plugins – such as Shopify and Wolfram – with a much more set to follow. And crucially, no code is required to integrate them. It’s possible to simply use human language descriptions to automate API-building processes that would potentially be rather technical and time-consuming.

So far, ChatGPT has been kept within a sandbox, and OpenAI appear well aware of the risks that come with letting advanced AI out in the wild. Slowly though, the boundaries are being pushed that bit further; the new plugins and partnerships give us a clearer picture of how ChatGPT could operate on an even wider scale.

An existential threat, or a time-saving tool?

For programmers familiar with AI automation, ChatGPT and its ilk are more likely to spell out possibilities than obsoletion. In fact, it may just make the lives of developers easier. ChatGPT can automate the repetitive lines of code that would otherwise take up much of a developer’s time and is a quicker option than scouring Google for code. This is particularly efficient when creating template or boilerplate code, allowing developers to reiterate at pace. And with this time saved, professional coders can focus on the high-value tasks that will differentiate their software from the competition – and perhaps have more fun in the process.

Given ChatGPT’s current limitations, even in its paid-for GPT-4 form, it would appear that the livelihoods of software developers are safe, for now. AI tools may be able to auto-generate code, but they’re no replacement for human creativity and oversight. The responsibilities of a developer may evolve – and certain roles may become redundant over time – but their core skills and human understanding will remain unchanged.

Advances in technology have historically made some jobs obsolete, but more often create new opportunities in their wake; a phenomenon termed by Austrian economist, Joseph Schumpeter, as “creative destruction”. In a similar vein, it’s possible that AI technology will make coding more accessible to businesses and individuals alike, in turn driving the need for skilled professionals who can monitor and fine-tune the proliferation of AI-aided software.?

AI tools could open coding to almost everyone

In many ways, software development has always been an exclusive profession. Despite the increasing importance of digital technology in modern society, only a relatively small percentage of the world can code. In fact, our appetite for software seems to far outweigh the availability of skilled developers and DevOps engineers, who continue to be highly sought after by organisations of all sizes and industries.

However, what if there was a way to make coding – an inherently complex trade – more accessible? ChatGPT promotes the democratisation of software development, allowing people with no prior programming knowledge to start writing code through human language prompts. Not only that, but users can ask ChatGPT to explain the function or algorithm behind a piece of code, making it a helpful learning partner for fledgling developers. While ChatGPT won’t turn all of us into pro programmers, its potential to make coding more inclusive is difficult to ignore.

Rather than spreading worry among developers, AI-powered tools are more likely to be a cause for excitement. By banishing much of the repetition associated with coding, more room is given for creativity and artistic licence. And who knows – with that newfound freedom, the next evolution of ChatGPT could be born. It was software developers who created the chatbot, after all.

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