The Impact of Generative AI on Software Development

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Nov 22, 2024

Tanner Burson, VP of Engineering at Prismatic, dives into the transformative effects of generative AI on software development. He discusses how AI is reshaping developer roles and productivity, fueled by tools like GitHub's Copilot. Tanner outlines both the opportunities and challenges AI presents, emphasizing the crucial need for human oversight to ensure code quality. He also explores the microunits of AI integration in workflows, the growing importance of mentorship, and the balance between innovation and practical engineering skills in an AI-driven future.

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INSIGHT

Software and Engineers Will Remain

Tanner Burson believes there will be more software and engineers in the future, despite AI advancements.
He emphasizes the importance of hiring and training the next generation of software engineers.

ANECDOTE

Conflicting AI Narratives

AWS CTO predicted AI would replace all engineers, while senior engineers find current AI tools unproductive.
Google claims 25% of their code is AI-generated, but Tanner Burson believes this only covers boilerplate code.

ADVICE

Focus on Code Review with AI

Current AI coding tools are not impressive, but future tools integrating real-time product data will be.
Code review becomes even more critical with AI-generated code to address context and system-level issues.

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Summary
In this episode of the AI Engineering Podcast, Tanner Burson, VP of Engineering at Prismatic, talks about the evolving impact of generative AI on software developers. Tanner shares his insights from engineering leadership and data engineering initiatives, discussing how AI is blurring the lines of developer roles and the strategic value of AI in software development. He explores the current landscape of AI tools, such as GitHub's Copilot, and their influence on productivity and workflow, while also touching on the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in code generation, review, and tooling. Tanner emphasizes the need for human oversight to maintain code quality and security, and offers his thoughts on the future of AI in development, the importance of balancing innovation with practicality, and the evolving role of engineers in an AI-driven landscape.

Announcements

Hello and welcome to the AI Engineering Podcast, your guide to the fast-moving world of building scalable and maintainable AI systems
Your host is Tobias Macey and today I'm interviewing Tanner Burson about the impact of generative AI on software developers

Interview

Introduction
How did you get involved in machine learning?
Can you describe what types of roles and work you consider encompassed by the term "developers" for the purpose of this conversation?
How does your work at Prismatic give you visibility and insight into the effects of AI on developers and their work?
There have been many competing narratives about AI and how much of the software development process it is capable of encompassing. What is your top-level view on what the long-term impact on the job prospects of software developers will be as a result of generative AI?
There are many obvious examples of utilities powered by generative AI that are focused on software development. What do you see as the categories or specific tools that are most impactful to the development cycle?
In what ways do you find familiarity with/understanding of LLM internals useful when applying them to development processes?
As an engineering leader, how are you evaluating and guiding your team on the use of AI powered tools?
- What are some of the risks that you are guarding against as a result of AI in the development process?
What are the most interesting, innovative, or unexpected ways that you have seen AI used in the development process?
What are the most interesting, unexpected, or challenging lessons that you have learned while using AI for software development?
When is AI the wrong choice for a developer?
What are your projections for the near to medium term impact on the developer experience as a result of generative AI?

Contact Info

Parting Question

From your perspective, what are the biggest gaps in tooling, technology, or training for AI systems today?

Closing Announcements

Thank you for listening! Don't forget to check out our other shows. The Data Engineering Podcast covers the latest on modern data management. Podcast.__init__ covers the Python language, its community, and the innovative ways it is being used.
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The intro and outro music is from Hitman's Lovesong feat. Paola Graziano by The Freak Fandango Orchestra/CC BY-SA 3.0