Will AI blow away software development?

And that question is not confined to software developers? Will architects, designers, coders and testers have a role in the brave new world of AI and Machine Learning?

To find the answer we have asked Wolfgang Emmerich – Professor of Computing at UCL and Chairman of Zuhlke UK – to be the guest speaker at our January ‘Innovation Talk’.  What he has to say will confront and debunk many popular myths… it will throw some controversial curve balls into the deep-tech debate…. it may well change your whole thinking on the virtues and values of AI. Here’s a taster…

“Okay, let’s put the job threat into context. Right now, demand for IT solutions far outstrips the supply of engineers globally. And demand is growing exponentially. So, software engineers won’t be joining the dole queue any time soon. But their work will change dramatically…

“AI removes the drudgery of ‘boilerplate’ programming. With assistance from generative AI tools, code can evolve much faster than a human can write it. This pushes productivity and quality to a whole new level. But…

“Ask a generative AI tool to write a cascading style sheet and it struggles. We will need designers to develop UIs that look good. We will need architects to define how to use cloud infrastructures – such as lambdas, gateways and load balancers – to meet the non-functional requirements. AI is liberating and elevating humans to new decisive roles. But…”

“There are serious roadblocks. Risk Managers often see AI as disruptive and dangerous. Legal departments lose sleep over possible IP infringements. Security teams fear for data safety and integrity if code leaves their network. This cultural mix of myopia, ignorance and risk aversion is more toxic than any tech advances coming down the line”.

“There will be winners and losers. Tech-savvy firms are jumping on generative AI. They will be the early winners. But, in the race to the top, financial service firms are likely to be the laggards. And they will pay for it as their productivity falls further behind. I will reveal why… and more importantly, I will explain how to become a front-runner”.

Software Developers won’t be blown away – for the truly talented, AI will be a breath of fresh air. Join Wolfgang Emmerich for a fascinating glimpse of the future.

Wednesday January 10^th, 2024

9am to 10am

MS Teams (link to be provided)