Will ChatGPT Replace Developers?

No.? Programmers and coders around the world have been in a frenzy since the advent of ChatGPT but the truth is civilization has capitalized on industrial and technical innovations for decades and will continue to do so. The question is how will developers use ChatGPT to their advantage?

ChatGPT is an incredible tool.? It can complete simple tasks like writing emails and essays to complex tasks like writing code.? If it writes code, then why will we need developers?? Well, it can write code and do it fairly well but it doesn’t do a great job of telling you where or how to use the code.? Developers begin with writing code but that is just one step of the project.? Programming involves problem-solving, logic, organization, and project management skills to build a fully functioning system.

For example, David Gewirtz of ZDNet tested ChatGPT to write a WordPress plugin.? He wrote out a very careful prompt for a Mac application, including detailed descriptions of user interface elements, interactions, what would be provided in settings, how they would work, and so on. Then fed it to ChatGPT where he found that ChatGPT debugged his code but he reported the following catch, “ChatGPT responded with just a flood of text and code. Then it stopped mid-code. When I asked it to continue, it vomited out even more code and text. I requested continue after continue and it dumped out more and more code. But... none of it was usable. It didn't identify where the code should go, how to construct the project, and -- when I looked carefully at the code produced -- it left out major operations I requested, leaving in simple text descriptions stating ‘program logic goes here.’”

Many experts tout the amazing abilities of ChatGPT but it does have limitations.? ChatGPT can be a coder's best friend because it automates basic and routine tasks to improve efficiency, saving them hours in repetitive and mundane tasks while allowing programmers to focus on the more complex aspects of projects that ChatGPT is not yet ready to produce.??

Let’s not forget that there is a perpetual lack of talent to fill skilled technical roles - around 40 Million jobs go unfilled in the tech industry and that is projected to reach 85 Million by 2030, despite ChatGPT infiltrating the tech world.? Like any new innovation, ChatGPT could be a help to programmers by making the transition into the industry easier but you will have to be familiar with basic Coding and what ChatGPT can do before you can utilize its potential.

The role of a developer has historically been considered a siloed occupation bogged down in the mire of nitty-gritty details.? That role will begin to disappear because ChatGPT is doing that part but up-and-coming developers need to understand basic coding so they know what to tell ChatGPT to do!? Also, we can’t troubleshoot if we don’t understand what a finished product consists of and how it was created from top to bottom.? The new role of a developer will be instructing ChatGPT to begin the projects while developers will implement, maintain, monitor and adjust the programs based on human feedback to create the desired final result.??

Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.”?

If we choose to understand what ChatGPT can do and use it to our advantage, no developer should have any fear.? It is a tool for developers to become stronger and more efficient and dedicate more time to creativity and imagination.? The first step to understanding is learning to code.

Learning to code, especially teaching kids coding is what we do at Code Wiz Durham.? Let’s give our kids the chance to use ChatGPT and other technology so they can create innovations in the future that we could have never dreamed come true!? Check out our coding courses for kids on our website:? https://thecodewiz.com/durham-nc