Upto what extent Gen AI code generation feature will generate the code?

[Suggy]

Talking about the code generation feature, every video/blog I have seen talks about novice example like this

Such example is not a wow factor 🙂

So I am curious to know:

1. Who is the target audience of 'code generation' feature? I read somewhere that the target is non-developers. If that true, then the ENTIRE code should be 100% perfect based on the prompt. Is that the case really?

2. Upto what complexity code can be generated? (simple? medium? complex?) (if its simple/medium, then community and google can help me for free 😉) 

3. Cost of Gen AI license vs cost of a hiring a developer for such coding activity, at the same time getting peaceful and satisfactory results (dealing with machine vs talking with human when any issues are found) - which is cost efficient? which is better?

[Suggy]

Anyone?

[Dr Atul G- LNG]

Hi @Suggy 

1. Who is the target audience of 'code generation' feature? I read somewhere that the target is non-developers. If that true, then the ENTIRE code should be 100% perfect based on the prompt. Is that the case really?

Atul: Yes that true it is for non-developer or few developers. NO 100% code will be correct it is not sure, bcz it might or might not give the exact result. and it is reason it is always said review the code before we actually use this.

2. Upto what complexity code can be generated? (simple? medium? complex?) (if its simple/medium, then community and google can help me for free 

Atul: The demo which i saw in K24 and other SN events, it is upto medium level but it depend how perfectly you write the prompt. Wrong prompt will generate wrong code.

3. Cost of Gen AI license vs cost of a hiring a developer for such coding activity, at the same time getting peaceful and satisfactory results (dealing with machine vs talking with human when any issues are found) - which is cost efficient? which is better?

Atul: Love this question. Again my view,  GenAI is still in evolving phase and yes it is costly too but on other hand for small code it is useful quick.

[Suggy]

@Dr Atul G- LNG  respsonding to your first point, if its for non-developers, how can they "review the code" if they are non-techies 🙂 I still dont understand its full potential, intended use, target audience, how well it can help and to 'whom'. I just need to wait and watch for few more days I think 🙂

[Simon Hendery]

The message ServiceNow has delivered consistently to partners, customers, and via their training, is that the Now Assist for Creator genAI tools, including the code generation capability, are primarily intended for experienced developers (pro coders).

To use these tools effectively, developers need expertise and experience because they need to be able to create effective prompts (prompt engineering), and understand the code that's being generated as a result of them.

These tools are about pro devs saving time by auto-generating code, rather than starting from scratch, and then reviewing that code to ensure it’s fit for purpose.

I agree, @Suggy, some of the demos show pretty basic code generation. But that’s because it's easier for people to see how the process works when you demo something simple.

Does Now Assist offer a good return on investment? That depends on how it’s used within an organization. But that ROI would most likely be related to making better use of senior developers’ time, not replacing junior developers or no code/low code developers.

I suggest you check out some of the Now Assist courses on Now Learning to understand more about what’s available and how it can be used.