The Promise and Perils of Generative AI in App Development
- By Mark Weaser, OutSystems
- September 04, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in recent years, with the potential to transform many industries. In 2023, generative AI emerged as a breakthrough technology, taking the world by storm.
In Asia Pacific (APAC), 70% of C-suite executives are exploring or investing in generative AI use cases. In the software development field, generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are increasingly used for code generation, enhancing productivity, and developing high-quality code. More programmers are increasingly embracing this approach to create, enhance, finalize, and troubleshoot code. However, while these tools offer a range of benefits for software development, several common pitfalls also need to be considered.
Three pitfalls for AI app development
Among the challenges that organizations must be prepared to tackle when using AI tools include:
● Tech talent shortage hindering validation of the output: While AI tools enhance developer efficiency by generating code, more is needed to resolve the scarcity of technical expertise, as skilled developers are still essential to guarantee error-free and secure code and ensure its integrity and intended functionality.
● Neglecting other development lifecycle phases: Creating an application encompasses more than just code generation and debugging. It goes beyond the capabilities of any AI generation tool, as it involves establishing a development environment, compiling and building applications, overseeing code integration, testing, managing changes through DevOps practices, and handling application hosting and runtime management.
● Increasing technical debt: AI-based generative models possess immense potential to significantly accelerate the speed of generating new code. Nonetheless, it is essential to exercise caution, as AI can jumpstart innovation but can also incur costs around maintaining and ensuring that applications are sustainable, especially if there are issues around code quality, governance and security. This may risk accumulating technical debt and increase potential burdens on already overwhelmed IT professionals.
Organizations must adopt an integrated approach to effectively address these challenges – leveraging technology that already embeds AI in its solutions while providing governance, security checks and developer support throughout the development life cycle.
Infusing AI into every stage of the app development lifecycle
By implementing the right setup, development teams can effectively overcome the abovementioned challenges and leverage AI to expedite app development.
To enable greater innovation, combining generative AI with low-code technology that promotes governance, embeds security checks, and supports developers throughout the entire software development lifecycle is crucial. This integration empowers more individuals and organizations by equipping them with tools to develop and modify applications with enhanced agility, scalability, and security. It enables them to model new applications with the appropriate architecture and user experiences and analyze the business value and impact for the organization.
Leveraging a ChatGPT connector is a great example. Such tools power virtual assistants to interact with users through natural language processing and generation. These virtual assistants can provide personalized responses, answer questions, and perform tasks, enhancing user experiences and accelerating productivity.
By harnessing the benefits of generative AI within their applications, developers can expand into new use cases and unlock new possibilities with interactive conversational experiences. This opens avenues for improved customer support, virtual assistants, travel and booking applications, language translations, and other applications.
Ultimately, in the arena of software development, leveraging a low-code development platform offers numerous additional benefits, especially after incorporating generative AI.
● Empowering junior developers: Low-code democratizes the capabilities of AI, extending its reach to a broader spectrum of developers, including junior developers and IT professionals. This is achieved by implementing guided development and simplifying the process of specifying intent within applications, utilizing a visual language that is easy to inspect and verify.
● Robust privacy, security, and user controls: Data confidentiality is upheld in low-code platforms, ensuring that shared data remains private and inaccessible to unauthorized users. Additionally, developers can define user permissions, enabling them to meticulously manage roles and responsibilities within the platform.
● End-to-end solution: When combined with AI, low-code solutions can cater to every stage of the software lifecycle. This includes tasks such as frontend design, data integrations, logic implementation, publishing, hosting, and more.
The combination of low-code and AI has the potential to revolutionize software development. By making AI an integral part of the development process, developers can unlock new possibilities and deliver high-quality applications with enhanced agility, scalability, and user experiences. However, it is crucial to be aware of the potential pitfalls of AI and low-code and take steps to mitigate them. By carefully planning and executing their projects, developers can ensure they use these technologies to their full potential.
Mark Weaser, vice president for APAC at OutSystems, wrote this article.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CDOTrends. Image credit: iStockphoto/DragonImages