How ChatGPT is Changing the Face of Programming

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the programming landscape has entered a new era. By leveraging advanced natural language processing capabilities, beginners and experienced developers now have powerful tools to ease the coding process.

AI-powered chatbots like ChatGPT or Gemini transform how developers solve complex problems and learn new technologies. This is why, when OpenAI was first released GPT-4, many users tested its ability to create functional programs from scratch.

The result?

It performed exceptionally well. For instance, Ammaar Reshi created a Gluttony game entirely using GPT-4, and his demonstration video gained over 3 million impressions. View the video here.

Since then, AI programming tools have evolved significantly, moving beyond simple code completion to generating code based on natural language instructions, as seen with GitHub Copilot. These advancements simplify coding not just for developers but also for those with no prior coding experience.

If there’s a certainty in the future world, it is that AI tools will deeply transform the way people learn to code and code in their daily lives. This article aims to predict what are the main changes this field will undergo in the coming years.

1. Bridging the Knowledge Gap

 
One of the most significant impacts of ChatGPT is its ability to democratize programming knowledge. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or a beginner, ChatGPT serves as an accessible source of information.

For instance, according to last year’s StackOverflow survey, all respondents are using at least one AI tool as a knowledge search, with a clear predilection for ChatGPT. More than 83% of respondents are using ChatGPT on a daily basis (83% for professional developers and 85% for learners).

Screenshot of the stack overflow 2023 survey. What AI search tools do respondents use?

ChatGPT can provide clear explanations, code snippets, and step-by-step guides. This means that if a person today needs to understand a new ML model or wants to crash into a new programming language without prior knowledge, AI tools like ChatGPT can work as personalized teachers.

For example, a newbie trying to understand the concept of object-oriented programming can easily ask ChatGPT for clear explanations. And this is the real game-changer in the learning curve. While before learners had to read dense textbooks or watch endless online tutorials, users now get instant, tailored responses for their natural language prompts.

This instant accessibility to knowledge reduces the barrier to entry for beginners and boosts the learning speed for more experienced programmers.

2. Enhancing Code Quality and Efficiency

Writing clean, efficient, and bug-free code is a challenge for many developers, still today. This is why AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can assist by suggesting best practices, offering code reviews, and even generating code snippets that adhere to industry standards.

Imagine you’re working on a Python script and need a quick function to parse JSON data. ChatGPT can generate the function for you, complete with error handling and optimization tips.

Moreover, ChatGPT can help debug code too.

While before most of us were spending hours trying to identify why the code wasn’t working, now we can share the code snippet with ChatGPT and get a direct review.

New tools like coding assistants, including GitHub Copilot, are becoming increasingly popular to speed up the development process. According to a Stack Overflow survey , almost 80% of developers use AI-based coding aid tools in their daily work.

Screenshot of the stack overflow 2023 survey. Usage of AI-based coding aid tools

AI tools improve the coding process, making them invaluable assets in modern software development.

3. Facilitating Collaboration and Communication

Programming often requires collaboration and clear communication between colleagues. One of the best practices is to document any process being developed, isn’t it?

ChatGPT can help us by generating documentation, crafting useful code comments, and even translating technical terms into easy-to-understand words for colleagues without technical knowledge.

Let’s imagine that you’re working on a project with a remote team to generate a working API endpoint. You can easily use ChatGPT to draft some complete documentation for your API endpoint progress, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

There are even AI tools that are currently integrated into call software like Teams or Slack to write down the meeting notes and make sure everyone has the same bullet points and main objectives in mind. This further enhances team productivity and ensures that the knowledge is well-documented and easily transferable.

4. Automating Repetitive Tasks

Repetitive tasks can drain both the developer’s creativity and productivity. ChatGPT and AI-powered tools can automate many of these boring tasks, allowing developers to focus on more complex and rewarding aspects of their projects. This includes generating boilerplate to setting up project templates.

Let’s consider the task of setting up a new project. This typically involves creating directories, initializing version control, setting up a virtual environment, and installing dependencies.

A lot of work, right?

With AI-powered tools like ChatGPT, you can automate these steps by receiving a script that handles the setup process, saving valuable time and reducing the risk of human error.

5. Learning and Adapting

 
Current AI-powered tools like ChatGPT or Gemini are already connected to the internet. This means they are constantly updated with new programming languages, frameworks, and tools, allowing developers to depend on them for up-to-date facts and information.

Also, model fine-tuning or even personalized GPTs can adapt the model to further tailor them to individual user preferences and coding styles hence rendering more personal help.

For instance, if you often work with a specific JavaScript framework such as React, ChatGPT can modify its recommendations or examples to correspond with the present developments in React development.

This ongoing learning and adaptation ensures that ChatGPT continues to be a valuable resource even as the programming world evolves.

Conclusion

These AI-powered tools are not just chatbots, they are powerful aids capable of easing the developing process. In terms of knowledge at your fingertips, there are code quality improvement measures, collaboration enhancement steps, and task automation processes. This makes coding accessible to all people, doesn’t matter whether one is an amateur coder or an experienced developer. Integrating ChatGPT into the workflow can boost productivity rates and increase innovation levels.

Embrace the future of programming through these new AI-powered tools. This will change how you perceive coding, making it way easier and more collaborative than ever before.
 
 

Josep Ferrer is an analytics engineer from Barcelona. He graduated in physics engineering and is currently working in the data science field applied to human mobility. He is a part-time content creator focused on data science and technology. Josep writes on all things AI, covering the application of the ongoing explosion in the field.