AI for Dummies

                                                                Photo by Christy Joseph Jacob @christyjacob26 on Unsplash

AI is going to be a problem in our working lives, and some would say that it already is. The reason isn’t that it’s going to take over our jobs or cause nuclear armageddon. 

The problem is that we all keep assuming AI will fix everything. And a recent Intel study suggests that we are already experiencing the impact, and surprise, surprise software developers aren’t getting the training they need for their new set of tools.

The Report

The PC market is pushing AI PCs at great dollar cost to businesses and consumers. They’re sold as “magic” solutions and a way to break out of the mundane work we need to do each and every day that brings us away from coding.

So, it might be a shock that Intel has discovered that the AI revolution isn’t all that:

“A more worrying statistic identified that, on average, consumers who own an AI PC spent longer on computer chores than those who had a normal PC or laptop. This finding highlights a greater need: proper education on AI implementation and usage is essential for realizing its potential.”

Wasn’t AI supposed to make us work smarter, not harder? Apparently, the smarter part requires some training, and I know no company is willing to invest a dime in their software developers.

The Expected Impact of AI on Developers

AI-enhanced productivity tools are supposed to handle the grunt work, leaving us to focus on the big ideas. No more slaving over small errors and hunting down annoying bugs, we are free to be more productive and creative in our work.

I know many software engineers only code for 30% or so of their time. The talk has been of this going down to 10% or so while becoming more productive.

This should be an exciting win for all concerned. It’s just not ending up that way.

The Real Impact on Developers

Some of our developers are burning hours trying to figure out why code spat out by an AI doesn’t work, before discovering the code is just…missing the point. It often takes code that appears to be lifted from Stack Overflow and tries to mash it into the context you give it, with highly variable results and difficult to find bugs.

Now take junior programmers who seem to have stopped thinking about problems and when ChatGPT is down say they can’t work that day. Yes, things are getting that bad and it is inhibiting the development of our less experienced coders who now don’t get good opportunities to try to solve problems.

The Fix

The report recommends education as the fix, and I think that’s it. None of us was born into the world of AI, and we need to learn to adapt our processes to it.

Yet how are we going to be able to do that with packed JIRA boards and the expectation to be “more productive” with the tools given to us — but not even a hint of what that might mean in reality?

We’re all rushing to market, and AI has become a buzzword and an expectation of productivity rather than the real tool it needs to be. To move from marketing hype to a real transformative technology software developers will need guidance. I just don’t see it coming from our employers anytime soon.

The Source

Here’s the entire report cited in this article, if you’re interested:

Conclusion

Here’s my plea: let’s focus on what is meaningful for developers rather than thinking about shiny tools that never get used to their potential.

When your AI-enhanced workflow creates more chaos than clarity, it’s not “everyday AI.” It’s “everyday awful.”