Generative Software Engineering

Let us talk about the brave new world of Generative Software Engineering - deployment of generative AI for software developers.

In the past year, the landscape of tech has seen unprecedented upheaval. Generative AI (GenAI) has catapulted data science, machine learning, and AI into the limelight, sparking conversations and at all levels of business and democratizing access to the power of AI.?Of course we know that 'data', that is 'accurate data' is key to the AI models. If data is the new oil, then AI is the gas-guzzler of data.

Among the many impacts of GenAI, one of the greatest transformations underway is that of Software & Platform Engineering.? As a core capability for every product-centric enterprise in a world that runs on software, this critical domain is being reshaped before our eyes and the impact will be profound.? Every industry is experiencing disruption and reinvention. From software itself to AI-powered products and services, this paradigm shift will be felt.

GenAI is taking these advancements to the next level with a new era of “Generative Software & Platform Engineering.” This concept elevates software to new heights, with visions of enabling it to adapt, scale, and evolve autonomously in response to a dynamic environment.

Software Engineering - Evolution

Let us look at the evolution of software development. The transformative journey of software engineering, from procedural development to object-oriented programming, to cloud and microservices, revolutionized how we build and maintain software. Generative Software Engineering is poised to drive an even greater leap forward. Fueling this evolution is Generative AI, a game-changer that empowers software entities to autonomously generate, test, deploy and maintain code.

Early days of Generative Software Engineering

Already Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, a code-writing tool has 1.3m subscribers and growing fast. Amazon and Google have rival products and Apple is working on one. So far, Copilot's productivity gain is in single digit. We are at the formative stage now.

GenAI in its present form has the power to take the role of 'co-developer' as the proliferation of coding assistants, generative SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) tools and GenAI-powered utilities rapidly become integrated into IDE's (Integrated Development Environment) and traditional software engineering toolchains. We also see the popular areas of AI use include - test case generation, code modernization, UX design assistance, creating documentation, coding assistance, etc. The focus seems to be on new software features and functions, and improving quality and productivity.

End Goal

Just as object-oriented languages and cloud architectures opened new horizons for software development, Generative AI will pave the way for a future where software not only serves but anticipates and evolves with human needs.

In this future, the role of the software engineer evolves from creator to orchestrator, guiding intelligent systems that can generate, adapt, and innovate, marking a new chapter in the symbiotic relationship between humans and their technological creations.?

Generative Software Engineering is here, and every day we’re building an exciting – if daunting – future of unprecedented acceleration in the development of robust, scalable, and user-centric software products and platforms.