For anyone building software, generative AI (Gen AI) — especially a tool like GitHub Copilot — is a means to quickly create, test, document, and debug code, which leads to big productivity benefits.
This boost frees up the time, resources, and brainpower of software developers and operations professionals to step up and fill consultative and leadership roles within their organizations.
Also: 4 ways to turn generative AI experiments into real business value
However, while the productivity benefits are clear, AI may not benefit everyone, and industry experts advise treading cautiously into automation.
First, some context. Gen AI code-suggestion tools can boost software developer productivity, according to a multi-party study by researchers at Microsoft, MIT, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The research analyzed the output of 4,867 software developers across three companies, all with access to Copilot, and discovered a 26% productivity increase in the weekly number of completed tasks, along with a 14% …