Just 5-7 years ago, the use of artificial intelligence in software development was more of a fantasy than a working concept. But today it is routine – AI-based assistants and tools are available to literally every developer. The world of IT has changed forever.
Today, the application of artificial intelligence in programming opens up many revolutionary opportunities for developers: from automating routine tasks to generating high-quality code and quality control. In this article, we will look at the key AI tools that are already changing approaches to coding, testing and debugging software today. You will learn how AI increases the productivity of the development process, improves the quality of IT products, and allows developers to focus on more creative and strategic tasks.
What are AI Tools for Developers?
We are talking about a wide range of solutions based on smart algorithms that can perform certain tasks in the software creation process. Let’s break down the main tools for developers using AI, categorize them by categories
Code generation and augmentation tools. These tools use machine learning models to anticipate and generate code based on context, comments or already existing code. They act as smart assistants to help developers write code faster and more efficiently. The most popular solutions in this category are GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, Codeium, Replit, Amazon CodeWhisperer, etc.
Testing and debugging tools. Such solutions use AI to automate the testing and debugging of code. They can generate unit tests, identify potential bugs and vulnerabilities, and offer automatic fixes. Typical examples of such tools are Diffblue Cover, Applitools, DeepSource, AskCodi, Snyk and others.
Code analysis and improvement tools. Such tools use AI to analyze code for compliance with the best coding practices and standards, They can detect code duplicates, performance issues and other factors affecting product quality. Popular solutions in this area include Codiga, SonarQube, DeepCode, etc.
Documentation tools. This category covers solutions that use AI to automate, improve and simplify the process of creating/maintaining software documentation. Even basic ChatGPT can greatly simplify document preparation and project maintenance. There are also specialized development solutions such as Mintlify and Scribe.
Project management tools. A separate class of solutions that apply AI to automate project management tasks such as scheduling, progress tracking, and reporting. They can help predict sprint timelines, optimize resources, and identify risks. Popular AI solutions in this category include ClickUp, Stepsize AI, Atlassian, and others.
In the following, we will break down some of the above AI-based programs for developers in more detail, according to their features.
