Leveraging artificial intelligence to enable enhanced software development

Software development as a process has evolved over time. From a mere desk-based coding task it has now attained the role of leveraging some of the most advanced concepts that fall under the purview of digital technologies. One such critical element that has dramatically transformed the way software development is pursued is that of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Scope of artificial intelligence

The scope of AI in aiding software development now spans to write & review code, detect bugs, test software and even optimize development projects. At the front end of the process, AI tools powered by Natural Language Processing can analyze requirements and flag issues such as incomplete, ambiguous, inconsistent, or compound requirements—and even suggest changes. There are also tools that apply learnings from past projects to improve the estimation of resource and timeline requirements.

Modern tools monitor code during the development stage and flag potential errors as well as recommend fixes based on past code repairs made by the developer and observations reflect that these are accurate 80% of the time.

On the testing end, where 35% of a developer’s time is spent, AI tools are taking it to another level today, by automatically generating test cases, then running them and analyzing the results. There are even tools emerging to assist coders with the tedious (and critical) task of unit testing. The ultimate goal is for these systems to adapt to business requirements while saving time and money. These systems can be used to develop prototypes faster, deliver software more efficiently, deal with new problems that developers aren’t even considering, and generally inject innovation into your software development process. The familiar AI-related trends we see in smart phones, smart assistants, smart homes, etc. have been at work for some time creating a new category: smart software.

In the future, it is expected that AI software will attain an automatic, invisible system identity that models human behavior based on past experiences, preferences, and other variables. For example, the voice-controlled remote operator, which improves customer touchpoints by leveraging AI. AI has enabled us to create more innovative interfaces with users as compared to traditional software applications. Now we can leverage software deployed on more cognitive-based interfaces like video cameras, audio devices, or other sensor devices, making it more intuitive for users to take advantage of computer systems.

Furthermore, AI is expected to influence the following aspects related to software development:

AI will redefine Software Development

AI is emerging as most innovative and cost-effective lever to augment human capabilities. The overarching trend we see emerging in the AI-driven software development space is the“AIaaS” (AI as a Service) model, where off-the-shelf AI tools can be easily, quickly, cost-effectively acquired and deployed as needed. These can include tools such as those mentioned above to assist with software development, as well as all kinds of other business functions.

From the pure software development perspective, we see tools evolving to take a more active role in helping developers write code—and fix bugs earlier in the process. These tools will learn by continuously analyzing code development, test, and bug repair efforts and proactively flagging potential errors and suggesting code improvements during the code-writing process. Developers are using AI to automate tasks that previously required manual programming, or to create systems that are more efficient and scalable to manage vast workloads. They love it because it lets them build systems much faster and more accurately than before.

In the long term, we expect AI tools to evolve to write code for us, going beyond the current “no-code/low-code” tools we see in various specific domains (and discuss in more detail later). For example, Microsoft and Cambridge University have already developed an experimental tool to do this called DeepCoder.

AI will help in enhanced coding

AI can help to code as well write the code itself.AI has the ability to learn and adapt as it learns more about the topic. While most developers leverage AI to manage (read automate) the manual job of analyzing or testing, AI can actually completely redefine the coding journey itself. There are two approaches to this:

• The aforementioned DeepCoder project is focused on complete autonomy; its goal is to learn general coding practices so that it can write code for a broad range of abstractly defined goals.
• The more common current approach is to use AI to power “no-code/low-code” tools, which can generate code for specific applications based on user inputs that can be entered via a graphical UI. These tools can work very quickly—generating the needed code in a matter of hours or even minutes—and produce more efficient code than their human counterparts. These tools empower users such as “citizen data scientists” and business users who are closer to data to build their own AI / ML models without needing to write code themselves—or to engage with a coder.

AI will assist in better programming

The fast pace of innovation in digital transformation demands an equally agile approach to software development. Artificial intelligence has emerged as a powerful tool that can help accelerate software development, whether it is powering search engines, answering customer service queries, or even creating YouTube videos. AI provides a way to program search engines, automate email marketing campaigns, and create custom content by analyzing online activity. Software developers can use artificial intelligence to create better programs.

In conclusion:

The impact of Artificial Intelligence on software development is huge and is going to enhance software and application development.AI is bringing significant efficiency gains across the software development lifecycle. From planning and budgeting through writing, testing, and deploying code, there are few software-development-related tasks where AI does not currently play a role.

AI software is becoming increasingly sophisticated computationally, but simpler for users to use. By making the power of computing more accessible to all, AI is helping to increase adoption of valuable technologies that, ultimately, will have a positive impact on the welfare of society.

The article has been written by Shivanand Pawar, Product Manager for Mosaic AI, a proprietary AI Platform by LTI.