Will A.I. replace Low-Code? On the contrary, AI will support its diffusion

Low-code | Modernization

There is no doubt that this is the year of artificial intelligence, or at least the widespread use of AI globally among non-IT experts, with the rise of tools such as ChatGPT, Bard, and other systems^[1]that are continuing to emerge in this period.

Certainly, the characteristic that strikes all users is AI’s generative capacity, that is, the possibility of generating "new" digital objects thanks to the research, composition, and re-elaboration of previous objects (for example, texts, images, or audio, as well as scripts and web pages) by writing with natural language in a simple interface like a chat.

But with the advent of AI, what will happen to Low-Code?

It is the question that industry experts have asked themselves: Will generative intelligent systems be able to replace Low-Code technologies with their languages and visual tools?

Forrester,^[2]a consultancy company expert in the Low-Code market, has started research and found decidedly interesting results about AI.

The results of Forrester’s research^[3]show how the use of TuringBots^[4](as it defines artificial intelligence systems linked to application development) will help the diffusion of Low-Code, especially among non-development experts, because integration with the platforms and their ease of use will encourage many citizen developers or business technologists to use these systems.

Additionally, AI will not replace Low-Code languages; the latter will still be necessary for pro developers to create corporate applications because more than natural language alone is needed to define (even very) complex applications.
Natural language will be a Low-Code feature and will become a complementary method of the visual approach.

It is no coincidence that in the scheme that summarizes Forrester’s Next Generation Modern Software Development^[5]Low-Code is among the technologies expected to help develop solutions, and TuringBots will assist developers in every phase of the development cycle.

The future? Faster development with integrations

We add to what Forrester describes: According to our experience as platform vendors, Low-Code has not yet reached its maximum diffusion among developers (Gartner has predicted that adoption will reach 70% in 2025^[6]) because many development teams are focused on complete code control and don’t see the benefit of Low-Code platforms creating repetitive code, overwriting every line of programming. This limit is even more evident if we think of AI systems that automatically generate application code starting from developers’ instructions, which would mean delegating the development completely to intelligent systems.

This doesn’t mean that developers don’t want to adopt AI, but that it will be integrated with other technologies, such as Low-Code platforms, to achieve better results in less time. For instance, this BCG article^[7](in the “Building and Maintaining Apps” section) describes a 40% increase in development productivity of a company thanks to the use of artificial intelligence systems.

According to experts, with increased diffusion of AI, we can reach new levels of development, which are currently being tested. We will pass through AI-Augmented Software Development^[8]which will support developers, and then reach Ai-Driven Development^[9], in which AI will be the primary interface for development. It will also be the moment in which we will see the pervasive diffusion of intelligent technologies in all company functions, and we will witness a business revolution that will lead to AI-driven companies^[10] implementing AI-driven business models AI-Driven business models^[11].

The path toward complete diffusion (and control) of artificial intelligence is still long, but not too long! For example, in Hype Cycle^[12], Gartner predicts that A.I. generative technology (the one we learned about with ChatGPT) will reach productive maturity within 5/10 years, even if it is now in the "peak of inflated expectations" period and all eyes are on this technology, with very high expectations.

Companies cannot ignore new tools that simplify and modernize application development—for example, consider the title of the Forrester blog post, “The Next Generation Of Modern Software Development Is Here: Embrace It Or Die”^[13].

Read the post about Digital Food Planning and Machine Learning >

Sources

[1] https://www.searchenginejournal.com/chatgpt-alternatives/482939/

[2] https://www.forrester.com/blogs/new-research-will-ai-kill-the-low-code-market/

[3] https://www.forrester.com/blogs/new-research-will-ai-kill-the-low-code-market/

[4] https://www.forrester.com/blogs/watch-out-for-turingbots-a-new-generation-of-software-development/

[5] https://www.forrester.com/blogs/the-next-generation-of-modern-software-development-is-here/

[6] https://www.computerworld.com/article/3658908/how-low-code-tools-are-filling-a-void-caused-by-the-great-resignation.html

[7] https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/how-cio-can-leverage-gen-ai-for-software-development

[8] https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/set-up-now-for-ai-to-augment-software-development

[9] https://medium.com/neudesic-innovation/ai-driven-development-the-future-of-software-engineering-a4b72199365d

[10] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-become-ai-driven-company-today-processes-fabio-moioli/