Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create computer code helps streamline the software development process and makes it easier for programmers at all levels to write code. The user enters a text message describing what the code should do, and the AI code generation tool automatically creates the code. It can also modernize existing code and translate code from one programming language to another.
By integrating AI into the developer’s toolkit, these solutions can generate high-quality code recommendations based on user input. Automatically generated code suggestions can increase developer productivity and streamline workflow by providing simple answers, completing routine coding tasks, reducing the need for context switching, and saving mental energy.It can also help identify coding errors and potential security vulnerabilities.
How does AI generative code generation work?
Generative AI for coding is enabled by recent advances in ExtendedLanguage Model (LLM) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technologies. It uses deep learning algorithms and large neural networks trained on huge data sets from a variety of existing source code. Training code typically comes from publicly available code created in open source projects.
What are the advantages of using generative artificial intelligence in code?
Using AI code generation software is generally simple and accessible in many programming languages and frameworks, and accessible to both developers and non-programmers.
Using software tools to generate AI code offers three main benefits:
Saves time by allowing developers to generate code faster, reducing the work of manually writing lines of code and freeing developers to focus on higher value work.
generative AI can test and debug computer code quickly and efficiently.
The use of generative AI in code makes code creation accessible to non-programmers.
How does generative AI for code differ from low-code and no-code AI?
Generative AI, Low Code and No Code enable fast code generation. However, low-code and no-code tools rely on pre-built templates and component libraries. These tools allow users without programmingknowledge to use visual interfaces and intuitive controls such as drag-and-drop to create and edit applications quickly and efficiently, while the code itself remains hidden in the background.
On the other hand,
Generative AI for coding software does not use templates or componentlibraries. The software reads the programmer’s instructions in plain text and suggests pieces of code from scratch that produce the desired results.
Although low-code and no-code tools are generally intended for non-programmers and professional users, professional developers and other users can use AI code generation software.
examples of currently available AI code generation tools
IBM Watsonx Code Assistant: IBM Watsonx Code Assistant helps developers write code using AI-generated recommendations, regardless of their experience level. Developers can make requests in plain language or use existing source code to generate code for target use cases. Watsonx Code Assistant provides pre-trained models based on specific programming languages to ensure security and efficiency in generating accurate code.
Github Copilot: Github Copilot is a pre-trained AI modeling and code completion tool that writes code in multiple languages, including JavaScript, Go, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Swift, and TypeScript, and also works with HTML and CSS.It uses machine learning to suggest code based on context, can scan code for vulnerabilities, and is available as an extension for integrated development environments (IDEs) such as Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio, Neovim, and JetBrains. GitHub Copilot uses publicly available code from GitHub repositories and is based on OpenAI Codex, based on GPT-3.
TabNine: TabNine is an AI code assistant that learns from the codebase it works on and provides real-time code completion, chat, and code generation. Includes code formatting, language recognition and documentation. TabNine supports Java, Python, JavaScript, SQL and other popular languages and integrates with code editors such as VSCode, IntelliJ and PyCharm.
Other generative AI coding tools: Other generative AI applications include Ask Codi, CodeT5, WPCode, Codeium, CodePal, and mutable.ai.
general purpose generative AI applications
General purpose generative AI applications such as ChatGPT with OpenAI and Google BARD also generate code from text instructions. ChatGPT, Bard, and other conversational AI applications are standalone tools, not built-in plug-ins that run directly in development environments.
AI code generation for IBM and enterprises As previously mentioned, IBM Watsonx Code Assistant uses generative AI to increase developer productivity with AI-recommended code based on natural language input or existing source code. Watsonx Code Assistant allows users to reduce the burden of cognitive change and coding complexity, allowing development teams to focus on critical work.
Designed specifically for specific applications,
Watsonx Code Assistant provides pre-trained and curated models based on specific programming languages to ensure security and efficiency in generating accurate code. This solution allows you to customize base models with your own training data, standards and best practices to obtain customized results while gaining insight into the provenance of the generated code.