Learning

ChatGPT: a threat or an assistant for software engineers?

Written by Lois Shuttleworth | Feb 23, 2023 5:12:58 AM

 

There are some rumors around the high potential of Tech roles replacement because of ChatGPT. Will this tool become a threat or a virtual assistant for humans? We posed this and a few other questions to Ha and Anthony, two senior Data Engineers at Sharesource, and this is what they told us.

Firstly, let's talk about how helpful ChatGPT will be for people in Tech.

According to Ha, the biggest advantage of ChatGPT is time saving on the more routine tasks such as coding, searching and testing. 

“My first experience with ChatGPT was on a coding task that usually takes over an hour to do. Using Chat GPT it took less than 30 minutes to complete which is great and it gives me time back to work on other tasks,” said Ha.

Additionally, ChatGPT can also provide the clear and concise copy or algorithm that goes with the coding that often gets missed in the rush to complete a task.

In addition to saving time, the accuracy of the work output is also another big strength of this chatbot. Anthony achieved more than 80% accuracy on an initial task, he did usingChat GPT. 

ChatGPT is a terrific support tool, not a threat to replace software engineers.

Despite rumors relating to ChatGPT taking over jobs in the Tech industry, both Ha and Anthony disagreed that is going to be the case. Output from Chat GPT is only as good as the input or brief it is given which is where the knowledge, skills and expertise of the data engineer comes into play.

Chat GPT, like any AI, is only as good as the skill of the people who know how to optimise the AI and use the information it provides to add value to your work. It also means that skilled software engineers can use the time saved in coding, searching or testing toward planning and strategy to improve the overall customer experience.

Anthony appreciated how much ChatGPT could assist his roles, but also felt that it's too early to say to what extent it might impact tech roles.

And like any AI, things move quickly, ChatGPT version 4 is soon to be released which is great news for developers as this version will have more functions and improve output quality.

ChatGPT can be a highly skilled virtual tech assistant helping you become more effective, efficient, and productive. If you ask the question “Can ChatGPT replace software engineers' role?”, like we did, we are sure that it too will give you the most correct answer.