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Lucent is back with another data science meetup 9.0, which talks about AI coding assistance helping developers perform their everyday tasks in the quickest and easiest way possible. From freshers to professionals took part in the meetup to share their thoughts on using coding assistance. Get to know the key insights from the event.
Our data science meetup brought together around 40 tech leaders and software engineers looking to discover how AI can be a great coding assistant in the modern software development field.
Our speaker, Mr. Ashish Kasma, CTO at Lucent Innovation, having expertise and relevant knowledge in AI assistance, presented the practical use cases of coding tools for developers and sparked a conversation that went beyond the hype.
Let’s explore the key insights and tools discussed at the event and how you can utilize AI for your software development needs.
Mr. Ashish started the event by addressing the fear of every developer: What if AI will take your job? Let’s first come to the fact that AI is no longer a distant concept in development; it is reshaping the way developers write, test, deploy, and maintain code.
Well, there are a lot of benefits of using AI for code generation, such as;
It can reduce boilerplate, allowing developers to focus on logic.
Offers smart suggestions based on the given coding context.
Generates quick prototypes, fostering exploration.
Improves security by detecting risky partners early.
You can rely on AI coding tools when it's about;
Boilerplate code,
Repetitive tasks,
Speeding up exploration,
Quick fixes & refactors,
Writing tests,
Documentation and comments.
It is a smart decision to rely on an AI assistant, but not every time. Certain situations demand human logic and interaction that AI can’t perform. So refrain from using these tools when;
Solving deep business logic,
Critical security or compliance code,
Refactoring large legacy codebases.
The session continued with further discussion on AI coding tools for developers like Cursor, Copilot, and Trae. Mr. Ashish presented a list of some top tools with their features, ideal use cases, and quick tips as well to help users easily get started, let’s check it out.
This tool helps you enhance your everyday coding productivity and handles common tasks with ease. It can be used to write repetitive code, generate unit tests, and learn syntax and APIs.
Features
Real-time code suggestion
Generates code from plain-language prompts
Supports multiple languages
Automatically generates boilerplate, functions, tests, and regex
Limitation
Don’t always understand the deep project context
May generate insecure or incorrect logic
Requires a stable internet connection
This AI assistant helps you understand and navigate a large or legacy codebase, writes smarter commits, and helps with debugging and code comprehension.
Features
AI chat window to ask questions
Multi-file context understanding
One-click refactor, debug, and explain code
Quick inline fixes and documentation
Built-in Copilot and comes with advanced features
Limitations
Still being new, some VS Code extensions are not fully supported
Larger than traditional IDEs
Works best when using GPT-4
Trae is a free AI-powered IDE that helps to build quick MVP, provides coding assistance for teams to improve productivity, and automates repetitive coding tasks.
Features
AI-Powered Code Assistance
Builder Mode
Chat Mode
Multimodal Input
Full Codebase Context Analysis
Cross-Platform Support
Limitation
Being a recent tool, you may find compatibility issues with certain extensions and workflows
Internet connection required to utilize AI features powered by GPT-4
While free to use, it is essential to consider data privacy factors while using AI
If you are ready to integrate AI into your development process, check out the following steps to easily get started.
Start Small: Utilize AI to execute smaller tasks like code generation or documentation.
Train Your Team: Educate your teams and encourage hands-on practices within teams.
Integrate Step-by-Step: Add AI tools into your existing IDEs or CI/CD pipelines.
Analyze and Improve: Lastly, monitor the received output, make necessary changes, and refine usage over time to achieve qualitative outcomes.
The meetup came to an end with closing thoughts on the fact that AI will not replace developers; instead, it will empower them to build smarter and faster. Our data science meetup 9.0 was filled with thought-provoking discussion and also some viral memes to educate and entertain the audience.
Remember, AI is here to improve productivity and the quality of work, not to take your job. So, embrace it with open hands and give it a try today. That’s it, stay tuned with us for the next data science event.
Also check out: Glimpse from Data Science Meetup 8.0: AI Agents and LLMs
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