Is Generative AI All Set to Rule Web Development?

There is so much hype about generative AI that almost everyone is seen discussing these AI-based tools that can generate code for you. Everyone wants more information on whether AI will replace web developers in the future. And so, some developers perceive it as a threat.

Let’s look at the role of Generative AI in web development.

Why Do Developers Fear Generative AI?

With every technology, change comes apprehensions associated with it. Most people are change resistant and so they conveniently believe even rumors related to technology development. Here are the common fears spreading among the developers as generative AI is trying to grab its place in the market. 

Loss of Jobs

Developers believe that as generative AI takes up coding, millions of developers across the globe will be replaced in no time. 

Deterioration of Code Quality 

Generative AI is not perfect or accurate yet. Web developers believe that the code it produces is not very high quality. Unless this code goes through thorough testing and comprehensive correction, the results will perform badly. This can lead to the wastage of precious time and resources.

Ethical Concerns

Generative AI is just a tool lacking human emotions and judgment. So, it cannot evaluate the ethical concerns pertaining to its responses. This could be a threat to society unless generative AI is used strictly under human guidance and supervision. 

Not Always Right

Many people believe that generative AI is perfect and that all the responses it gives are correct. This can lead to negligence and ignoring the errors or faults in codes. Believe me, generative AI is not always right and is prone to errors too! 

Why Must Generative AI Improve? 

Generative AI is surviving and causing a storm of debates across the globe. As discussed above, some developers fear it, while experts believe that generative AI could be an integral part of web development. However, generative AI still has a long way to go and it must transform to survive and be accepted widely. 

Here are the limitations of generative AI that still need to be worked on.

Dependence on the User

Generative AI is largely dependent on the user, his skills, and his ability to query effectively. If your question cannot be comprehended by AI, the answer will also be incorrect or misleading.

So, it's better to assign the role of using generative AI to users who can communicate effectively. They should not be vague and irrelevant in their queries. Precise, concise, and accurate queries lead to better responses from generative AI. 

However, it's not possible for businesses to arrange for such human resources and so generative AI should improve its ability and give options or suggestions to the user which could lead him to refine his own query. 

Accuracy

Even the famous generative AI tools come with disclaimers that they may not be always accurate. Generative AI also suffers from hallucinations and it can distort facts. So, it needs to improve on accuracy. 

With more and more research and integration of machine learning, generative AI is improving each day and we can expect it to be more accurate in the future. Though it's difficult to predict when it will be completely accurate and reliable.

Misinterpretation & Miscommunication

At times, due to different cultural and demographic language interpretations, generative AI also misinterprets the queries. With time, generative AI can be trained to understand language patterns across the globe. 

Natural language processing is still a major component of such tools but it has to be more inclusive for the tool to interpret the language style and patterns and interpret the meanings as desired.

Similarly, miscommunication is also a vulnerability that generative AI currently suffers from. Machine learning capabilities are helping it to understand the user, his preferences, etc., so that it can train itself for better communication with users of different ages, demographics, cultures, etc.

Contextual Understanding

Some of the most powerful generative AI tools have problems with contextual understanding if the question asked is ambiguous, figurative, humorous, or sarcastic. It can’t gauge the user’s intention in such cases. 

Personalization

Although AI-based tools can be programmed to machine learning capabilities, ChatGPT, for now, doesn't learn from individual users’ interactions to understand their preferences or personalize their experiences. This limitation is the easiest to cover and most AI-based tools are improving at it. 

Bias

It’s not always possible for generative AI to keep itself immune to biases and so the generative responses might at times be biased or even inaccurate.

Suggested Reading: Why Are Web Development and Web Design Not the Same 

Lack of Specialized or Highly Technical Knowledge

Generative AI is not a subject expert or technology specialist. It is not an expert in the topic of your interest and so it is not capable of giving highly technical, logical, or analytical responses in subjects that require specialized knowledge.    

Latest Information

ChatGPT claims that it has limited knowledge of the world and events after 2021. The world needs updated information in all spheres. Generative AI must configure itself for real-time updated information. Else, it is not a reliable source of information for many fields and purposes other than historical data. 

Lack of Versatility

Over the decades, web development has transformed into a vast field with sub-domains including Joomla development, Drupal development, WordPress development, etc. Different platforms match different requirements of businesses. Generative AI is not capable or trained to all these modern modes and so it lacks versatility in web development.  

How to Leverage Generative AI? 

Despite the above concerns and without any indirect references, I can still conclude that the rise of generative AI is going to be a big boon for web development, app development, and software development industries. 

Developers need not fear generative AI; they should embrace the change and prepare for it. 

Generative AI helps augment human intelligence in coding by assisting developers in the following ways.

Idea Generation

Most software development businesses long for innovative ideas that can help them survive in the competitive market. Such ideas are difficult to find as they are dependent on the availability of creative people in the team especially carrying the responsibility of generating out-of-the-box ideas. Moreover, it is very time-consuming for humans to keep exploring. 

AI is very good for idea generation from varied perspectives as it can gather a large number of ideas in a short duration and ideas without bias. At times though the ideas may even suffer from a lack of practicality and so the ideas should be well evaluated before accepting.

Code Completion

Generative AI is very good for code completion, if not entire coding. Developers can leverage this when they are stuck in a situation that is consuming a lot of time. It is possible that the code generated by AI is not very convincing but it can help developers move beyond a stuck situation.

Syntax Checking

Generative AI is a good assistant for syntax checking. It has been programmed for different languages and their rules which it can follow. It can thus identify errors and syntax faults in existing code when a human mind can skip or miss especially when the fragment has been programmed by himself.

Thus generative AI can act as a neutral assistant. Human developers need time and resources to learn different languages and so businesses wanting a code fragment in a language where they lack very experienced human resources can use generative AI for syntax checking.

Code Optimization for Better Performance

Generative AI can help developers optimize code for better performance. The quality of results will depend on the human using the tool, his skills, and his capability, but a capable developer can effectively use the tool in such cases. It thus helps developers focus on other tasks when those which can be automated are managed by generative AI. 

Getting Bug Description and Fixing

Developers are often stuck with bugs that are hard to find and they have to spend hours to get to the exact part of the problem. Some of the popular AI code generators are excellent bug detectors and they can even fix bugs in the code. These tools will not only identify the bug but also explain its details.

Generating Documentation

Documentation is a very significant, lengthy, and time-consuming part of web development. Generative AI can help automate documentation so that developers can instead focus on the more essential tasks.  

Suggest Libraries and Frameworks

Developers often face a dilemma in selecting the right libraries or frameworks for their projects. Generative AI can suggest relevant frameworks and libraries to developers. However, beware, it requires experience with high-quality projects for the developers to identify the right frameworks and libraries for their projects. And so, never accept generative AI’s suggestions in this matter without researching the same. 

The Future of Generative AI in Web Development

If technologists feared technological advancements, computers, and AI would not have existed! The world owes all developments to those who researched and worked hard to make this world a better place. 

Thousands of manual jobs were replaced by computers; but, even more, were generated by the developments. Similarly, generative AI will replace some jobs that can be better and more efficiently handled by AI compared to humans. And, it will also shift the humans to better roles where they could leverage the power of AI to produce better code and save time on basics.

Wrapping Up!

No matter how much generative AI has achieved, like all technology-based systems, even generative AI faces some challenges as it is in the early stages. However, like any other technological development, generative AI is all set on the path of continuous improvement. With its machine learning capability, it is learning from its human interactions and mistakes. We expect AI to participate largely in web development in the future. But, that doesn't mean human developers will be replaced yet!