ChatGPT is a highly developed language model developed by OpenAI that can produce natural writing. Because of its capabilities, some people are worried that it will soon replace programmers and software developers too. However, the limitations of technology and the unique talents that human engineers bring to the table must be considered while making this assumption.
ChatGPT text can be compared to what a human might write. Some believe it could be used to write software code. However, coding requires more than just linguistic ability or search capabilities online. Complex systems, data structures, algorithms, and programming languages all require comprehension. Although ChatGPT can generate some code, it is still not sufficient to completely replace human software developers.
Writing code is only one aspect of software development; it also requires creativity, critical thinking ability, problem-solving skills, and the capacity for teamwork. Human software developers can comprehend the unique needs of their clients and create solutions customised to those needs. Additionally, they can offer individualized service and assistance that a machine might not be able to duplicate.
Reasons why ChatGPT won't Replace Coding
A. Creativity & Problem-Solving: Software developers possess creativity and critical thinking skills essential for designing innovative solutions to complex problems.
B. System Design & Architecture: Software developers have expertise in analyzing requirements, adaptability, performance, security, and integration needs that AI tools lack.
C. Debugging & Troubleshooting: Developers excel at identifying and fixing bugs through problem-solving and a deep understanding of the code, which AI cannot replicate completely.
D. Collaboration & Communication: Developers require effective collaboration and communication among team members and stakeholders, which again AI tools cannot replicate.
AI's Impact on Software Industry
Software development is a dynamic industry. Therefore, Programmers and Software Developers must have the ability to keep up with the constant emergence of new programming languages and technologies. It is less likely that ChatGPT will be able to keep up with these changes in real-time, even though it could be able to generate code in already-existing programming languages. Contrarily, human developers can change and pick up new talents as necessary.
Software development entails numerous tasks, some of which are more amenable to automation than others. Although ChatGPT could be able to produce some code, it is less likely to be able to do more difficult tasks, such as debugging or testing. These duties require a thorough knowledge of the program being built as well as the capacity to recognize and fix issues. Although ChatGPT is a potent tool with the ability to alter how humans perceive language and communication, it is doubtful that it will soon completely replace human software engineers.
How AI Could Be Wrong
A. Lack of Domain Knowledge: Anthony Curtis Adler, a Northwestern Ph.D. Professor and Author asked ChatGPT to write a program in Python to create a truth table, and here are the results:
When he tried running it, he got an error, which was quite easy to fix; he just had to add one line of code in the 10th line of the code.
Not getting too technical, but the issue here was that ChatGPT was assuming the “!” function in Python as a general symbol for logical negation, when in fact it only has a very restricted—idiomatic, as it were—use.
There is also another problem: the “>” makes no sense. It doesn’t recognize the difference between logical and mathematical meaning. So it doesn’t work at all—though it sort of seems like it might work.
B. When taken from a Business Perspective: A coding error in the payment processing system on the e-commerce website might have a big impact on the business, so let's say we ask ChatGPT to create a code and we use it without human touch for that purpose. Multiple users can experience issues making their payments if the error is left unfixed for a long time.
This would mean a loss of sales for the company, a reduction in revenue, and possibly even damage to the platform's reputation. Customers may lose trust in the platform and decide to buy elsewhere if they are unsatisfied with the payment procedure and frequently encounter problems, which could result in a long-term loss of clients and lost market share for the business.
C. When taken from a User’s perspective: A user is attempting to buy a product on an e-commerce site and has reached the payment stage. However, the transaction becomes stalled or fails to finish as a result of a coding error in the payment processing system. As a result of being unable to complete their transaction, the user could feel annoyed and inconvenienced.
This could lead to a bad user experience, which might cause the customer to give up on the purchase completely or look for other platforms to meet their buying needs.
D. From a Creative perspective: Think about a situation where a consumer tries to purchase anything from a fashion e-commerce website. The website's layout is intended to be both individualised and aesthetically pleasing while exhibiting the most recent fashion trends. However, during the checkout process, the website is unable to load the product description owing to a coding problem.
From a creative perspective, the user's experience is badly harmed in this case. The user finds it challenging to make an informed purchase decision in the absence of product photographs and thorough explanations.
A website's user interface and aesthetic components must work as intended, thus software developers with artistic aptitude are crucial. For the online payment process to be seamless and interesting, they must be able to implement and manage the design aspects, such as product photos, descriptions, and overall aesthetics.
Is Human Intervention Necessary?
Even though technology may be able to automate some activities, human developers still bring a special set of abilities and knowledge to the table when it comes to software development. Finding ways to utilize technology's capabilities while also appreciating the significant contributions of human software engineers will be crucial as it continues to advance.
AI tools like ChatGPT cannot replace human expertise, creativity, problem-solving abilities, and human interaction. Mistakes made by AI tools can be costly in terms of security, performance, and alignment with requirements, which in turn highlights the importance of human involvement and oversight in software development.
(Author: Gaurav Mukherjee is a social media intern at TechDoQuest. His diverse interests keep him engaged and excited about life.)