The use of artificial intelligence software by developers is not widespread yet, but 75% plan on learning AI tools, reveals survey – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

The use of artificial intelligence software by developers is not widespread yet, but 75% plan on learning AI tools, reveals survey




 

Image source: Evolving Science

You may think that artificial intelligence is already governing the IT industry. But as it turns out, things are not as tempting as they seem to be at first glance.

A survey conducted by Tech Publisher Packt on more than 2,800 developers working on an array of IT projects ranging from cybersecurity to web design, revealed that only 28% of them use AI tools in their day-to-day roles.

While this small number depicts the reality perfectly, it is just one side of the story. The survey also found that around 75% of the respondents plan to learn AI-related tools in the next 12 months.

This clearly indicates how versatile and advancing the tech industry is. Hundreds of thousands of software developers are on their toes to keep pace with technology change and to explore the future of AI in detail.

Developers With the Lowest and Highest Salaries Are More Likely to Learn AI

The survey also revealed some interesting insights. The two groups that are planning to start adopting AI in the near future are the ones with the lowest salary ($15k a year) and those who belong to the top salary bracket ($150k a year).

This means that software developers who are still in the process of attaining stability in their career see artificial intelligence as an important route to getting a higher salary, while people in the middle bracket feel comfortable and stable in their current field of expertise.

On the other hand, people with the highest salaries in tech seem to be keen on new technologies and want to be the frontrunners in the machine learning and artificial intelligence fields.

Mobile Developers are Keen to Learn to Use AI Tools

87% of developers who are working in the mobile industry plan to learn to use AI-related technologies, according to the survey. This is a significant number when compared to software developers in other niches.

This may be the result of the increasing use of AI in mobile app development. The massive success of Pokémon GO and similar games are pretty much enough to gauge the popularity of AI-powered apps.

To make artificial intelligence easier for people, Google even launched a software development tool, which allows developers to integrate AI into their apps. The ML Kit works fine with both iOS and Android. However, CoreML by Apple is more popular among iOS developers.

Similarly to ML Kit, CoreML is also designed to make integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning in apps easier. This could be considered as another attempt to minimize the users control over his data, but nowadays it can be overcome through privacy settings or the use of internet traffic encryption applications.

The bottom line here is that developers are more inclined towards learning to use AI tools rather than learning "artificial intelligence." Still, this doesn’t make a big difference as both ways will ultimately help artificial intelligence to become easily accessible and mainstream.

Developers Are Leading the Change

Like it or not, artificial intelligence and machine learning are already transforming the way live, work and operate businesses by doing things that once seemed unreal. We can already see AI applications in various different disciplines – from medicine to IT, where machines perform certain tasks more effectively than human employees.

Nevertheless, AI is still in its infancy, and it will take some time for it to become a full-fledged team member. But as these changes are inevitable, it’s important for professional developers who want to stay ahead in their careers to start adopting new approaches and learn to work alongside these technologies. After all, we are the ones leading the change, so to do it properly we need to be the change.

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