3152: AI for Mass-Scale Code Refactoring and Analysis

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I explore the cutting-edge intersection of AI and software development with Justine Gehring, an AI researcher at Moderne and the author of AI for Mass-Scale Code Refactoring and Analysis. Justine shares her insights into how AI is addressing one of the most complex challenges in the industry: large-scale code migrations and updates across enterprise environments.

While AI tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT have excelled at assisting individual developers with writing and optimizing code, Justine explains how large-scale code refactoring requires an entirely different approach. At this level, AI must account for enterprise-wide complexity, maintain reliability, and ensure security across thousands of repositories. She also dives into Moderne’s use of open-source frameworks like OpenRewrite, which enable deterministic, verifiable code changes and combine machine learning for targeted tasks.

We also discuss how this transformative use of AI is reshaping collaboration between human developers and machines. From accelerating the onboarding process for developers to simplifying migrations for legacy systems, AI is offering groundbreaking opportunities to enhance productivity, maintainability, and innovation.

How are industries like banking, insurance, and others with vast, complex codebases benefiting from these advancements? And what does the future hold for AI-human collaboration in software development? Tune in to find out.