What skills should developers build in the age of AI?

Generative AI signals a sea change in software development, including a surge in demand for developers. Recently, GitHub partnered with analyst firm Keystone.AI and Harvard Business School professor Marco Iansiti to study the potential economic impact of AI benefits in software development. Here are some key findings:

• AI developer productivity benefits could boost global GDP by over $1.5 trillion. How did we arrive at this estimate? Analysis on a large sample of GitHub Copilot users (n = 934,533) reveals that on average, within the first year in the market, users accept nearly 30% of code suggestions from GitHub Copilot and report increased productivity from these acceptances.
• Using 30% productivity enhancement, with a projected number of 45 million professional developers in 2030, generative AI developer tools could add productivity gains of an additional 15 million “effective developers” to worldwide capacity by 2030. This suggests that one group of workers could boost global GDP by over $1.5 trillion, and, over time, result in a surge in demand for software developers.

The only constant is change. Amid the rapid changes fueled by generative AI, GitHub Developer Advocate Michelle Mannering believes developers should build their resilience and adaptability. Here are her practical tips for developing these soft skills:

• Participate in hackathons. ?????? Creativity and adaptability are key to getting the most out of a hackathon. A hackathon is designed to build creative solutions to complex problems. Solutions go through several iterations over the course of one hackathon as the team adapts to new information.
• Go on a hike. ?? Or a similar activity that pushes you to prepare for the unexpected. When hiking, the environment can change quickly: the weather might turn, the trail can become lost in overgrown brush, and physical discomfort is usually guaranteed. This type of experience provides practice in keeping a level head, maintaining confidence and smart judgment, and optimizing limited provisions.?
• Get curious and learn at least one new thing each day. ?? Our ability to question reality will make us valuable in the age of AI and automation. Computers spit out information and numbers. But developers need to question and analyze how those results came to be and how they can be applied. Here are some questions to help you dig deeper: Why is something done a certain way? Can it be done better? How did we arrive at these results? Are the results useful? Why or why not?

Why should developers learn about generative AI coding tools? The research we mentioned above also found that more organizations are requiring applicants to test for software development jobs with GitHub Copilot. This indicates that AI pair programming will become a standard method for testing applicants, and leveraging generative AI tools will soon become a core competency of software developers.

To stay ahead of the curve, you can put Mannering’s advice into practice and learn something new about generative AI and GitHub Copilot. Also check out the tutorials below:

• How to train your own AI image models without breaking the bank. GitHub’s principal systems designer Maxime De Greve shares techniques and easy-to-use tools that he’s used to train his avatar AI model. No expensive hardware required. ????
• How to use GitHub Copilot: Prompts, tips and use cases. In this prompt guide, Mannering and Rizel Scarlett, also a GitHub developer advocate, share examples and best practices for communicating your desired results to GitHub Copilot. ????

• How to use GitHub Copilot to build a browser extension. Scarlett shares her steps for building a browser extension with GitHub Copilot, and her three major takeaways about learning and pair programming in the age of AI. ??????????

Drive impact through non-code contributions. Paramount to any developer’s individual success is the larger team. Developers who celebrate group wins, give kudos to colleagues (including those on cross-functional teams), and advocate for an improved developer experience can help boost impact and increase morale.?

• Here’s why and how developers and non-developers alike should get started on making non-code contributions to open source projects.

- Klint Finley, senior editor of The ReadME Project

• API-driven innovation can also lower barriers for individuals who may have limited physical access to banks, credit cards, or traditional financial products. Open Finance (or Open Banking) is an approach adopted by banks like NAB (National Australia Bank) to help include more individuals in the financial system. ?? To enable financial inclusion and Open Finance, there needs to be a channel to exchange data and services between banks, customers, and trusted partners (fintechs, for example); that’s where APIs come in. The tremendous opportunities for Australia, New Zealand, India, and other countries to enable financial inclusion to its population are dependent on the quality of the APIs. Learn how a developer on GitHub can drive growth of APIs that enable financial inclusion.?
• If you’re leading a platform migration and exploring the world of GitHub, here’s how you can lead that migration while prioritizing the developer experience and creating an environment that drives innovation.?

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