February 22, 2017
Microsoft has released a new artificial intelligence that can write code.
automation hysteria
Some people in the tech community have been reacting badly to this.
I’m not even a bit concerned.
In fact, think that if tools like this are perfected, it would be a great boon for developers. I’ll explain why below.
a coding ai
In essence, what this thing does is use a database of code snippets.
it then combines them into something usable.
As in the linked article says, this is like a typical Stack Overflow user.
This user copies and pastes code from the site and then modifies it to do what he or she needs.
The “intelligence” part is how the AI chooses code fragments and fits them together.
why it shouldn’t concern the average developer
Development isn’t all about writing code.
It’s about determining what the problem is, and then writing out a logical solution.
This is usually in the form of code, but not always.
This AI won’t be able to determine a problem or write specifications by itself.
It will still be humans who need to do that.
In order for a machine to determine problems and find logical solutions… a much broader AI will need to be developed - one that can build its own metal model of the world.
why this will actually help developers
At the moment this tool can only handle problems that can be solved with around 5 lines of code.
A promising start, but it needs a lot of work.
Let’s say that Microsoft perfect this.
The tool will help developers rather than replace them. Think of it as another layer of abstraction.
Another step from the first compiler to fourth generation high level languages.
Could a non-developer be as skillful at using this new kind of tool as an experienced developer?
With few exceptions, no.
It may make programming more accessible, but the most productive developers will still be … well, developers.