Datum Academy Blog

ChatGPT is a powerful language model developed by OpenAI that has the ability to generate human-like text. It has been used in a variety of applications such as chatbots, language translation, and summarization. However, the question of whether ChatGPT will replace programmers is a complex one that requires a closer examination of the capabilities and limitations of this technology.

First, it is important to understand that ChatGPT is not a standalone tool. It is a tool that can assist programmers in their work, rather than replace them. For example, ChatGPT can be used to generate code snippets, help with debugging, and even generate documentation. This can save programmers time and effort, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.

However, ChatGPT is not capable of understanding the full context of a program or the broader goals of a project. It is also not able to make decisions about how a program should be structured or what features should be included. These tasks require human judgment, creativity, and problem-solving skills.

ChatGPT is not able to execute code or test it for bugs. This means that even if ChatGPT were to generate a complete program, it would still need to be tested and debugged by a human programmer.

ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can assist developers in their work, but it will not replace them. Developers will always be needed to provide the human judgment and creativity that is required to create effective software. However, by using tools like ChatGPT, programmers can work more efficiently and effectively, allowing them to create better software in less time.

In conclusion, it is unlikely that developers jobs will be replaced by ChatGPT. If we take airplanes as an example: they have a complex system of autopilot controlled mostly by computers and yet, pilots are still there sitting and tuning the computer's controls whenever needed.

While these models can generate human-like text, they are not capable of replacing the creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills that developers use on a daily basis. On top of that, ChatGPT and other language models require human oversight and maintenance, which creates additional job opportunities in the field.

To take it a step further :

Using ChatGPT is not just for developers. Indeed, ChatGPT can write poems, songs, and even short stories in the style of a specific author. It can also be a tool used by content creators, bloggers, or even people working in communication since ChatGPT can generate any kind of textual content.

Of course, when it comes to generating essays, for example, for students, the tool becomes particularly dangerous in the sense that the student will no longer have to make any effort to research and work on his or her course, whatever it may be. Abuses have already been noted by several teachers everywhere who deplore this kind of behavior. To alleviate this problem, many schools and universities in the United States have already banned the use of ChatGPT.

The creative professions are also concerned by these new developments in AI. There are other tools using artificial intelligence such as Dall.E or MidJourney, which is a tool for generating images. Again, this is a tool that can be very useful for marketers who have a precise idea of what they want, but the risk is that this tool will eventually replace the work of graphic designers or illustrators. On Twitter, for example, many artists complain - and rightly so - that clients now prefer to generate the illustration they want themselves to avoid having to commission artists. Artists find themselves in direct competition with people who do not have an artistic background, but who thanks to AI tools, can claim to have the same level of creative competence and technicality. Illustrators and graphic designers will have to redouble their efforts to be original and risk seeing their "touch" reproduced by AI.

In summary, these tools using AI will make way for great upheavals. If we go back in time, the same worries weighed on technologies such as DTP or Wikipedia: for the first one, it was the fear of seeing jobs such as pictures/video editor, for the other one, that students would not make any effort in their learning. Today, they are both tools: DTP (Adobe tools ...) are used by a very large of people, for professional use or personal one. Wikipedia is widely used, but everyone knows its limitations. We've adapted, and that's what we're going to have to do with these AI-based technologies like ChatGPT: understand how they work, use them as tools, and set limits to prevent their abuse.