BT’s Digital Unit has made some serious leaps forward in its software engineering endeavours, revealing a partnership with Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) to use its GenAI programming aid, Amazon CodeWhisperer. This artificial intelligence tool is likened to a phone’s autocorrect feature, but for coding. It scrutinises code as it’s being crafted and offers relevant additional code to enhance the programme.
Notably, Amazon CodeWhisperer is proficient in 15 unique programming languages and offers comprehensive capabilities, spanning from small snippets to complete functions. These capabilities are adaptable to various integrated development environments (IDEs) anchored on natural-language comments and existing code.
Moreover, this cutting-edge AI solution doesn’t just suggest code. It actively ensures the safety and reliability of the code being used. CodeWhisperer weeds out unreliable code and marks any of its suggestions that mimic open-source training data, steadily scanning for and addressing potential vulnerabilities within the code.
Presently, BT publicises that the AI coding tool is contributing between 15 and 20 code suggestions per user daily. Interestingly, this output is accepted by software engineers a significant 37% of the time. As a result of these figures, BT asserts that they’ve successfully automated an estimated 12% of the mundane, repetitive, and time-consuming coding tasks previously performed by a pioneer group of volunteers.
A stalwart champion of this AI incursion, BT affirms, “The adoption of generative AI solutions on this scale is not just a major milestone for BT Group, but for industry as a whole. It will equip our colleagues for a world of work that is transforming overnight, in turn delivering solutions for our customers quicker than ever before. Implementing coding assistance is step one in a wider enablement move for our digital colleagues in AI-supported product lifecycle management.”
VoIP engineers, IT professionals, and tech-savvy individuals must take note of this development and its implications. Over time, Amazon CodeWhisperer and similar AI tools could reshape the digital landscape, making coding more efficient, secure, and versatile.
