The role of software developers is always evolving as new technologies are introduced, and AI is going to become one of the biggest instigators of change. It is already helping developers write code by taking on some of the more tedious and time-consuming tasks on their behalf. It is even possible that one day AI will be able to write code itself, though we are not there yet.

Now, developers can automate significant portions of the code writing process, which frees up their time for other more creative aspects of DevOps.

What we’re seeing already in the changing role of developers is the importance of being able to collaborate with AI. But that AI will always need human guidance, which is why the role of a software developer will never become obsolete.

Let’s look at some other ways that artificial intelligence improves software development.

Increasing Development Speed and Scale

The speed at which a software development project can be delivered is being significantly increased with the implementation of AI. The primary DevOps metrics like deployment frequency, lead time for changes, and the time it takes to fix issues and restore service are all being sped up thanks to many of the time-consuming tasks being automated through AI.

For example, testing software takes humans longer than AI as each test must be initiated manually step by step. Every issue encountered must be manually amended by hand, even the common ones that have relatively easy but time-consuming fixes. With an automated process, AI will be able to run simultaneous tests and immediately fix common issues.

Analysis-Based Decision-Making

Strategic decision-making processes conducted by humans involve a DevOps team discussing and debating the various products and features incorporated into the software being developed. Obviously, this takes time, but it can also be massively influenced by the cognitive bias all humans are prone to. By using AI to analyze all the previous data and produce a strategic decision based only on that data, a DevOps team can arrive quickly at a decision that is not influenced by their own natural and learned biases.

AI will eventually make all strategic decision-making based on analytics, which will mitigate risks and the costs they can incur. Of course, the final call will always fall to the human leader of the project, but now that decision will be based purely on the relevant data.

Reducing Human Error and Bias

While removing human error and cognitive bias improves strategic decision-making, AI’s elimination of human error is going to be another massive improvement in all aspects of software development. Tiredness, boredom and recklessness all play a part in human behavior, but AI never gets tired or bored, and always makes calculated decisions.

AI will also use experience to identify common errors, flag them and fix them much earlier and faster than a human-only team. As error management is the reason for most downtime in software development, AI’s reduction of errors will be a huge improvement.

To find out more about how artificial intelligence improves software development and how your business can benefit, please contact our team at +1 800 974 7219 ext. 202. Alternatively, complete the online form here and a member of our team will contact you.