?? Harnessing the Power of AI in Fullstack Development: A Personal Challenge ??

As a fullstack developer, I am constantly exploring new technologies and tools to enhance my work. One such tool that has caught my attention is AI, particularly ChatGPT. I love how AI can be a helpful companion in our everyday work life, offering solutions, generating ideas, and optimizing processes.

Recently, I challenged ChatGPT to create a software application. This experiment has been an enlightening experience, highlighting both the incredible potential and current limitations of AI in our field.

The Positives

ChatGPT is undeniably a fantastic tool for enhancing code quality. It can help generate cleaner, more efficient code snippets, and can assist in solving common programming problems quickly. This can significantly speed up the development process and improve overall productivity. Here are some specific advantages I noticed:

1. Automation: ChatGPT can automate the majority of the code, writing well-structured classes and functions.
2. Multiple Approaches: It helps you find solutions by testing multiple approaches quickly.
3. Speeding Up Learning: Since it writes code very fast, you can speed up the learning curve, especially when approaching a new framework.

The Challenges

During the experiment, I tried my best to let ChatGPT develop the code by providing all the necessary instructions to make the app run. Here are a few key insights I discovered:

1. Critical Decisions: When developing software, decisions such as choosing the right framework, stack, and libraries are crucial. Surprisingly, ChatGPT struggled to suggest these appropriately. This was an unexpected finding from my tests.
2. Fixing Code: While you can provide ChatGPT with links to solutions, it's not straightforward for it to fix the code perfectly. After numerous tests, I had to manually fix parts of the code and guide ChatGPT to move forward.
3. Deprecated Functions: I was surprised to learn that ChatGPT is not adept at recognizing deprecated functions and replacing them with updated, working code.
4. Performance Considerations: ChatGPT does not inherently write code with performance optimization in mind. One of the functions it developed generated an endless loop, showcasing the need for human oversight.
5. Software Architecture: Understanding where to place the code to ensure it works correctly is crucial for overall software architecture, something that AI currently struggles with.

The Takeaway

While ChatGPT and similar AI tools are incredibly powerful allies, they cannot replace the nuanced understanding and innovative thinking that we, as developers, bring to the table. The human brain remains essential, especially when navigating the intricacies of specialized software development.

In conclusion, AI can significantly enhance our work, but it is our expertise and critical thinking that drive truly optimized and effective solutions. Embrace the AI revolution, but never underestimate the power of the human mind!

What do you think?

Do you agree with my experiences and observations? How has AI impacted your development process? I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on this topic!