Expert Insights

James LePage contends that AI-enabled software development necessitates a shift from deterministic to non-deterministic thinking. Incorporating language processing elements, traditional systematic testing methods may no longer suffice.

Hear James explain:

  • The transition from understanding straightforward code lines to managing layered natural language systems.
  • How this liaison of code and natural language contributes to a larger system that orchestrates structured outputs.
  • The potential challenges and transformation to the testing process, which now has to deal with the complexity of natural language processing.

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We have engineers going from, I have written 30 lines of code, and now I have this new feature and I know exactly how it works, and I know exactly how to test it too. I have this 30 lines of code wrapping, a bunch of natural language, contributing to a more global system that orchestrates this natural language into trying to create a structured output that I can then apply back to my product.quotation-marks icon
James LePage ,
Director of Engineering AI, Automattic

THE NEW DEFAULT angle

Here's how software teams can upskill and adapt processes for effective AI-assisted development:

  • Foster Cross-Competency: Encourage your software engineers to grasp not only coding but also the intricacies of natural language processing, making them prepared for the combination that AI development entails.
  • Redefine Testing Approaches: Traditional testing methods may lack efficacy with AI systems that involve complex natural language handling. Teams should adapt their testing strategies to assure quality in such non-deterministic systems.
  • Build Systemic Understanding: Developers now work with code that feeds into a larger, interwoven system. It's essential to cultivate an understanding of this broader architecture and how individual code contributions fit into it.
  • Embrace Learning & Iteration: The shift to AI-assisted software development may pose challenges initially. Proactively nurturing a learning mindset and embracing iterative improvement can help teams navigate these complexities.