Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies are now a big part of our reality. AI has been frequently used as an aiding instrument for developers, an instrument that possesses extensive data storage capabilities.
Serhii Onishchenko is a Senior Software Engineer with over 8 years of experience in software development. He has been specializing in JavaScript, React.js, Cypress, TypeScript, React Native, Node.js, Express.js, and Java.
Working for Caterpillar, he developed and maintained responsive and interactive user interfaces using React and TypeScript. He also optimized applications for maximum speed, scalability, and user experience.
While at ImproveIT Solutions LLC, Serhii developed and integrated features to manage financial transactions, reports, and analytics, improving the app’s financial management capabilities by 30%.
Could you tell us in more detail, what the main ways of using AI technologies in software development are?
Depending on the direction of development, the methods may also differ, but it is useful on each SDLC. The most popular is Code Completion and Suggestions, using such instruments as GitHub Copilot and IntelliSense, which leverage AI. It helps to predict and suggest code. My personal recommendation is to read carefully what AI auto completes because it may write code with bugs. Also, AI can be used to refactor existing parts of code and make it simple and readable. Sometimes, when you are writing in a new language and don’t know the best practice, it helps a lot to write better code. AI-based tools like DeepCode or SonarQube can detect vulnerabilities, potential bugs, and security risks in code. While learning new technologies, it is a great idea to ask AI chat to explain something you do not understand. Sometimes, I also use AI to generate documentation and write basic unit tests.
As you can see for now, there are a lot of possibilities for using AI in software development.
Why is it considered that the use of AI technologies in software development helps to strengthen software security?
It helps to find the most popular vulnerabilities, and because there are a lot of them, it is hard to find all of them without deep knowledge of cybersecurity, which not all software engineers have. AI continuously monitors system and application behavior, identifying anomalies, and it takes a lot of effort to do it manually. With AI, you can get real-time feedback during development. Self-learning models adapt to new attack patterns and update their defense mechanisms without requiring additional attention.
Of course, it is necessary to review AI code, but it saves a lot of time and helps to add additional security levels.
OK, we talked about the benefits. And what are the main disadvantages? What are the main challenges and limitations of AI for software development?
Implementing AI solutions often requires attention to privacy. You can’t feed chatGPT a code of your application because sensitive information can leak. That’s why many companies still do not authorize their employees to use any AI and even restrict access to AI tools because they still haven’t found a way to use them without risks. The next limitation is cost. It would be very hard and expensive to create a new ChatGPT; that’s why companies are using existing APIs, which are controlled by third parties. Additionally, AI is not always accurate, particularly in dynamic environments where new patterns emerge frequently.
Can AI fully supplant software developers in the future? Yes or no, and why?
As for today, AI needs skilled professionals to implement and maintain AI solutions. I don’t think that AI can fully replace software developers in the future, but we definitely need to adapt to changes right now. AI will become our assistant and will help us to create better solutions. Very soon, each software developer will become a kind of a manager for AI tools. With AI, we will get even more work than now. Don’t be afraid of losing a job because of AI. Each engineer needs to concentrate on how to use AI better and achieve professional goals with it.
What specific human skills are so unique that they can’t be replaced even by AI?
Humans possess unique skills that AI cannot replicate, such as empathy, creativity, ethical reasoning, and adaptability. We excel in forming meaningful relationships, inspiring others, and crafting emotionally resonant stories. While AI augments our abilities, it lacks emotional depth, moral judgment, intuition, and originality driven by lived experiences. Our life experience is unique and not replicable.
