ChatGPT creates more problems than solutions for Coders!
- Uday
- Jul 06, 2023
- 0
Artificial intelligence is both the best and worst thing to happen to developers. In a short span more than 90% of developers seem to be already using AI tools to write code, such as GitHub CoPilot, ChatGPT and Cody. While these tools can boost productivity, they also pose significant challenges in managing the huge amounts of code being generated. This problem is know as Big Code and has already been a headache since the era or open-source platform but this can become a big challenge is companies don’t get to handle how their coders user AI to work.
Contrary to popular belief ChatGPT might actually be reducing the efficiency of Coders. While the coder might find a solution quickly and it may gratify his urge to quickly complete a task, simply copying the code generated by AI can lead to a situation where a critical vulnerability has become a rabbit hole to fix. AI is the best thing happened to development teams in unlocking new level of productivities, but if not done right, this could be a worst of “Toothpaste out of the tube” situation for coders.
Imagine a task may have taken less time to complete because the AI was able to find out pieces of code from billions of lines available on the network, but a small change has now become difficult to do as it can have cascading effect on different modules of your architecture.
The closes analogy is of a 3D printed boat which has been poorly designed and architected but has been build in hours using 3D mortar printer. Any guesses on what will happen to that boat in the water. We’ll the repairs might now work and one may have to rebuild the boat and that is exactly what can happen to the piece of code made with the help of AI without applying human acumen.
There is also a hidden cost of AI tools which has been ignored by the awe stuck developers, the effect AI has on the learning curve. No developer has improved by not writing a code, it is like an exercise for their creativity which gets compromised once you have AI writing codes for you. Relying too heavily on ChatGPT for coding tasks may hinder a coder's ability to develop their own problem-solving skills and understanding of programming concepts. Relying solely on AI-generated suggestions might limit a coder's ability to explore alternative solutions, think critically, and come up with innovative ideas.
In a nutshell ChatGPT and similar AI models are tools that can enhance a coder's productivity and efficiency, but they should be used judiciously and in conjunction with other learning and problem-solving approaches.
