AI Coding

AI in Software Development

AI coding tools have become essential for many developers. From autocomplete suggestions to generating entire functions, AI is changing how code gets written.

AI Coding Tools

GitHub Copilot

• Most widely used AI coding assistant
• Suggests code as you type
• Integrates with VS Code, JetBrains, etc.
• Powered by OpenAI Codex/GPT-4

Cursor

• AI-first code editor
• Chat with your codebase
• Write and edit code through conversation

ChatGPT / Claude

• Paste code, ask questions, get help
• Explain errors, suggest improvements
• Generate code from descriptions

Amazon CodeWhisperer

AWS-focused coding assistant, free alternative to Copilot.

What AI Coding Can Do

• Autocomplete — Finish lines and functions
• Generate from comments — Write a comment, get the code
• Explain code — Understand unfamiliar codebases
• Debug — Find and fix errors
• Refactor — Improve code structure
• Write tests — Generate unit tests automatically
• Documentation — Create docstrings and READMEs

Limitations

• Can be wrong — AI generates plausible but incorrect code
• Security issues — May suggest insecure patterns
• Context limits — Can't see your entire codebase
• Stale knowledge — May not know newest libraries
• Over-reliance — Risk of developers not learning deeply

Best Practices

1. Review all suggestions — Never blindly accept
2. Understand the code — Don't use code you don't understand
3. Test thoroughly — AI code needs testing like any code
4. Use for boilerplate — Best for repetitive patterns
5. Provide context — Better comments = better suggestions

The Future

• AI agents that write entire applications
• Natural language programming
• Automated code review and security analysis
• Self-improving codebases