AI Assisted Coding: Strengths, Challenges, and Future of Coding Assistants

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized many aspects of software development, and AI-assisted coding tools are rapidly becoming indispensable in a developer's toolkit. This talk explores the current landscape of coding assistants, highlighting the tasks where they excel and the areas where they struggle. We’ll dive into practical strategies for mitigating the weaknesses of these tools, ensuring that developers can maximize their utility.

You'll gain an understanding of the array of AI coding assistants available today, their unique strengths, and how they fit into a developer's quiver. We’ll also look ahead to the future, offering predictions about upcoming improvements in AI-assisted coding and identifying the tasks likely to advance slower.

Finally, we will address a crucial question: How can developers build confidence that the output or advice from AI tools is reliable? Attendees will leave equipped with insights and actionable advice to effectively leverage AI in their coding workflows, enhancing productivity and quality in software delivery.

About the speaker: David Parry is an accomplished Principal Software Developer with over 20 years of experience in Java development. His journey began in 1996 when he discovered programming, particularly focusing on Java applets. Throughout his career, David has been involved in numerous notable projects, including building and implementing content management systems for clients like Johny Walker and keepwalking.com. As a consultant at a Big 4 firm, he played a key role in solving critical issues for clients, demonstrating his ability to handle complex, high-traffic web platforms.

About the venue: Certara accelerates medicines to patients, using biosimulation (modeling and simulation) and technology-enabled services to transform drug discovery and development. Our integrated and proprietary end-to-end platform with generative AI technology, biosimulation, regulatory science, and market access solutions combined with our global 1,400+ strong team of scientists and experts enable informed decision-making, higher R&D productivity, and improved patient outcomes.