Speeding Up Code? AI Assistant Boom Raises Quality Concerns
While AI coding assistants can speed up software development, there are concerns that they may be sacrificing code quality in the process. This is because AI assistants may not be able to account for the long-term maintainability of code, and they may encourage developers to copy and paste code rather than reuse existing code.
Summary
- AI coding assistants are becoming increasingly popular, and they can help developers write code faster.
- However, there is some concern that AI coding assistants may be sacrificing code quality in the process.
- One study found that code churn (the percentage of code that is reverted or updated less than two weeks after being completed) could double in 2024 compared to 2021.
- The study also found that less code was being moved by developers, suggesting there was less code reuse.
- This could lead to problems in the long term, as code that is not well-maintained can be difficult to understand and update.
- However, it is still early days for AI coding assistants, and their impact on code quality is not yet fully understood.
- Some developers believe that AI coding assistants can have a positive impact on code quality, but it is important to use them carefully and to be aware of the potential risks.