Generative AI can improve developers’ productivity — but only when they correctly calibrate expectations. Here are six ways to get off on the wron

6 Misconceptions About Using Generative AI to Improve Programmer Productivity

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2024-05-05 00:30:05

Generative AI can improve developers’ productivity — but only when they correctly calibrate expectations. Here are six ways to get off on the wrong foot.

Attempting to get through a work day without reading or hearing about AI is like trying to send a text message with a carrier pigeon — highly unlikely. Software engineers in particular are inundated with articles exhorting them to use generative AI (genAI) to write their applications. Most of those essays make lofty promises, asserting that adopting GenAI guarantees better developer productivity. And they often warn developers that they’d better jump on board before their careers go the way of the dodo.

Plenty of people are experimenting with or adopting GenAI, certainly. Gartner predicts eight in 10 enterprises will use GenAI APIs and models or deploy GenAI-enabled applications in production environments by 2026, up from less than 5% in early 2023.

They’re experiencing better programming productivity, too — to some degree. Nine in 10 developers surveyed in the Evans Data 2023 Global Development Survey Report say they got some benefit from using GenAI.