While computer programs can’t code themselves, artificial intelligence is making it possible for computers to help with coding tasks, allowing human programmers to work more efficiently. Using AI tools for coding can give developers a fresh pair of eyes on their work and help them to automate routine tasks and debug code more quickly.
Simply put, AI coding involves the use of artificial intelligence to help write and review code. The vast majority of American software developers are already using AI coding tools in one way or another to improve the quality of their code and boost their own productivity.
Natural language processing is the technology that allows computers to understand the way humans naturally use language. Building on data about linguistic patterns and machine learning, NLP can interpret text written in regular language rather than code. With this technology, even people who aren’t strong coders can give instructions to an AI tool, and the AI can glean the meaning and intent of these instructions to carry out the work.
Deep learning uses neural networks to process and learn from large amounts of data. This is the machine learning technology that enables AI tools to understand and write code; they’re trained on massive volumes of code and can draw on that knowledge to complete new coding tasks.
Generative AI is the technology that can create new content by drawing on the knowledge that the AI has acquired. Any AI tool that can generate code or plain-language text is a generative AI tool.
Large language models are a subgroup of generative AI tools focused on creating natural-sounding, human-readable text. LLMs are trained on vast data sets to be able to predict the most appropriate word to fill in a blank in a sentence. It does this over and over again to generate text. This is how popular tools like ChatGPT work.
Using AI tools for coding lets you automate the creation of boilerplate code and other routine tasks, which can save a lot of time over the long run. If you’re a little stuck on where to start with a new coding task, AI can also give you a first draft to work from.
Using AI tools can help you keep your coding practices consistent and avoid common mistakes, resulting in cleaner code. AI can also help you debug code faster.
Learning to code and gaining experience as a programmer can be challenging experiences, but AI coding tools can make the path forward smoother. You can ask an AI tool to explain concepts you don’t understand by using a natural-language prompt and gain knowledge about what pieces of code do and how they work.