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The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is widely acknowledged as a game-changer. Its nature promises opportunities as much as challenges for almost every business or industry. We’re taking a look at them in relation to software development, especially, today.  

More and more seen as a threat bound to replace human developers, AI and related tools can also be a benefit that makes our lives easier by handling time-consuming and routine tasks. Either way you have it, IT staff augmentation has certainly become an effective resource for the tech industry. With its emergence, it presents an opportunity for even greater efficiency and innovation in software development. 

With AI’s changes to our niche, it's certainly important for developers to understand how it's affecting their profession. In this article, we'll provide insight into the ways in which AI is transforming the industry, whether you're looking to embrace or resist this emerging technology. 

How Have AI and IT Staff Augmentation Helped the Software Development Industry? Here are some tasks with which AI is helping teams become even more efficient: 

Taking Care of Software Testing 

Software testing is an area in which developers prefer to let AI take charge. It can help write test cases to quickly discover bugs. Engineers can also use AI algorithms for parts of the testing cycle (mostly exploratory ones) that rely on creativity and intuition to identify bugs.  

While AI testing can sometimes be superior, it is still far from replacing human developers. Humans seem to have a better understanding of user interfaces and can judge emotions more accurately, which AI is currently unable to do. However, AI serves as a useful tool to simplify and optimize software testing.  

Making Crucial Decisions 

AI or Machine Learning (ML) tools are also unable to engineer programs without assistance. Their knowledge is confined to big data sets that developers feed them through machine learning algorithms. Once data scientists generate a reliable data set based on high-quality programs, however, these tools can analyze problems and answer questions almost immediately. Human analysts could spend hours doing the same job.  

Therefore, the right data can mean AI assistants are able to make decisions regarding frameworks and KPIs while also determining necessary or optional features in an app.  

Double-checking and Fixing Bugs 

In order to consider how AI assistants have become one of the most popular tools among software developers, we need to account for how much they can help complete codes, double-check for errors, and search through instructions and documents. Some of these tols can even analyze problems, make proper use of libraries, help developers write code in different languages, and offer other practical solutions.  

Monitoring Real-time User Feedback 

Real-time feedback is also crucial for software developers, whether a software is in its early stages or already released. This feedback helps developers continuously adjust their projects and tailor experiences and resources to specific uses, ensuring overall success.  

In many cases, developers can only improve an app by conducting extensive testing or allowing users to send feedback. This is particularly  true in the case of messenger apps, which constantly enhance their user interface and experience (UI/UX) based on real-time feedback from AI assistants and user testing. 

Developers can also use machine learning to monitor user behavior in certain situations. That data helps further fix bugs and any errors users may encounter. Consider complaint and abandon rate drops a side benefit here.  

Another notable example of real-time feedback is using AI to offer personalized content based on data collected from user activities. 

Handling Time-consuming, Routine Tasks 

Using AI and ML tools without human oversight can be a waste of time and money and pose legal risks. In light of this, developers should factor in just how impossible it is for AI assistants to perform software engineering tasks independently and yet how easily they can take over other type of tasks, instead, such as debugging and compilation.  

This fact alone can quickly shift engineers’ efforts from an AI focus on certain areas to rely on these tools for other type of jobs that would otherwise take so much time from their busy schedules. Being able to get AI assisance on items or taskts that would take humans much longer can also mean additional time that engineers can use working on more creative elements. 

A blank screen can be to a software developer what a blank canvas would be to a painter. Engineers can seize all their tools at hand to go from dealing with repetitive tasks to devoting more time on areas in which AI cannot be of help just yet. 

Analyzing User Behavior 

Ever wondered why so many software solutions today are user-friendly, too? One key reason is how developers have learned to understand user behavior, which has allowed them to create products that meet and surpass user needs. By using AI to analize how users interact with a program, they can easily pinpoint certain problems and solve them before they impact the user experience. 

As we know, fixing bugs early on in our processes is much more affordable than managing an unexpected need for updates. With AI predictive analytics, developers can anticipate how users interact with a program based on their past experiences with similar apps. Different use cases help developers cater to wider audiences. 

Stay Updated on AI Developments and IT Staff Augmentation Possibilities 

AI, ML, deep learning, natural language processing (NLP) and other artificial intelligence tools have dramatically changed software development over the recent years. They have pushed the boundaries of what machines can do. Now, these advanced tecnologies can better mimic human programming skills to a great extent, leading to new possibilities  and changing the way we create software. Staying up-to-date with the latest AI, ML and IT Staff Augmentation trends in software development is essential to making the most of these tecnologies. 

Yet, all available evidence indicates that, as of now, AI or ML tools are nowhere near advanced enough to replace human developers. They can be excellent assistants that take care of mundane tasks, however, offer real-time feedback, and help us understand user behavior. How are you seizing AI and related tools in your software development journey from here?