Week 06. Software Development doesn't have to be Rocket Science.
As a society, we've made significant strides in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Rocket Science, with companies like Space X achieving incredible milestones such as landing reusable rockets and sending people to space, we still face many basic problems that need to be addressed. For instance, poverty and hunger continue to plague many parts of the world, while access to education and healthcare remains limited in many regions. Additionally, environmental issues such as climate change and pollution pose significant challenges to our planet and the future of our species. So, while we celebrate our advancements in science and technology, we must not forget the fundamental issues that affect humanity as a whole.
In 2017, the World Health Organization reported that around 5.6 million children under the age of five died from preventable causes like pneumonia and diarrhea. As of 2020, the United Nations Development Programme states that 617 million children and adolescents around the world still fail to reach minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports that over 690 million people worldwide were undernourished in 2019. These issues are not limited to developing countries; they also exist in developed countries. In 2019, Feeding America reported that 34 million Americans experienced food insecurity, which means they lacked access to enough food for an active and healthy life.
Digitalization and automation are good things.
Software is a useful tool that helps society become more organized. Through software, society can link resources, optimize operations, and manage complex tasks that would be impossible without technology. The availability of technology has allowed more vulnerable people to benefit from its advantages, which has improved their lives in many ways. For example, software can connect people living in remote areas to essential services that otherwise would be unavailable. Additionally, software can help businesses operate more efficiently, resulting in cost savings and increased profitability and efficiency.
Impact investment supports startups in creating innovative solutions for social issues while generating social and environmental impact alongside financial returns. Impact investors seek businesses with clear social goals and a mission to achieve positive change in the world. Software startups are well-suited to impact investment because of their lower overhead costs and ability to provide more efficient and effective solutions.
The impact investment sector is rapidly growing, estimated at around $715 billion by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) in 2020. This sector's growth is expected to continue as more investors show interest in generating social and environmental impact alongside financial returns.
Two relevant impact startups that are working to solve problems in health and education are:
The software cost collapse.
According to SK Ventures, the next cost to fall in the tech industry will be the cost of software itself. This means that software will become more affordable and accessible and will lead to further innovation and growth in every industry. The lower cost of software could democratize technology by enabling more people and companies to invest in and develop their own solutions.
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AI generative solutions are changing the way developers write code by providing faster and more efficient coding methods. For example, GitHub reported that their AI-powered developer tool, Copilot, is used to build up to 46% of code across all programming languages. Additionally, DeepMind's AlphaCode AI has surpassed human programmers in terms of efficiency and accuracy. AlphaCode is a system that writes computer programs at a competitive level and uses transformer-based language models to generate code and filters to a small set of promising programs. Its impressive performance was demonstrated when it achieved an estimated rank among the top 54% of participants in programming competitions hosted on Codeforces. The system has also been recognized by Science, and its dataset has been released on GitHub for others to explore.
Instead of eliminating coders, the emergence of this AI technology is more likely to make everyone into coders. With generative AI coding, anyone can express their ideas and requirements in a natural language (in my case, Portuguese or English), and the generative AI will convert it into usable code in mere seconds. This would revolutionize the way software development is conducted, making coding accessible to a wider audience and allowing for more diverse and innovative projects.
GitHub reported that their AI-powered developer tool, Copilot, is used to build up to 46% of code across all programming languages.
In the early days of computing, it seemed unlikely that these machines could be used for personal purposes. However, as computers became more widely available, we began to see the potential for personal computing. Similarly, the democratization of AI is changing the way we interact with software. With the help of AI, we are able to abstract complex concepts and take advantage of real benefits on a daily basis. In fact, businesses are increasingly adopting an automation strategy, where AI is used to unlock productivity potential.
No-Code tools and AI capabilities are essential for achieving an automation-first mindset. By reducing the amount of time spent on repetitive tasks and simplifying the development of basic software applications, we can focus on the most critical work. Like Lego pieces, pre-built building blocks can be used to create complex programs. This means that coding in languages such as Python and JavaScript is no longer necessary for basic use cases. As AI becomes more widely available, software capabilities will become increasingly accessible.
Public roadmap and next steps.
I am taking longer than expected to research the topics that I am going to cover in No-Code Camp. However, I believe it's important to take the time to conduct thorough research to ensure that the program I build is solid and covers all recent and relevant trends in the software ecosystem, including the impact of AI in both the short and long term.
In the upcoming weeks, I will share my public roadmap, which will give clarity into what I am planning to build and what No-Code Camp will entail. The next editions of the newsletter will focus more on building, as I promised. Keep an eye out for updates! Additionally, I will explore ways to incorporate community feedback into the program so that it can continue to evolve and improve over time.