Software development is the most sought-after expertise domain across all organizations. Its demand will only increase in the coming years. Even though software development is a complex task requiring coding, designing, assessment, and more, the good news is it can be automated to a certain extent using artificial intelligence services. Unlike human developers, AI software development tools eliminate the room for error, avoiding the need to start over every time there is a mistake. Many organizations rely on artificial intelligence business solutions for efficiency and accuracy.
In this article, we'll look at the top AI software development tools of 2024, highlighting their key features and the industries they are best suited for.
Best AI Software Development Tools
Whether you're a seasoned AI developer or just starting, this article will provide valuable insights into AI development. The most helpful AI tools for software development in the ongoing year are:
1. Azure AI
Azure AI by Microsoft is an excellent example of artificial intelligence as a service. It equips developers and data scientists to do more with less. The most significant benefits of Azure AI are:
- It allows you to modernize business processes.
- It accelerates development with built-in business logic.
- It can be run anywhere and is very secure.
Some of the functions you can perform seamlessly using Azure AI include machine learning capabilities, knowledge mining, conversational AI, document process automation, machine translation, and speech transcription.
The software development tool is mainly being used by industries such as
Financial Services
Azure AI is in great demand among companies providing financial services. It is highly effective at preventing fraud, automating payment processing, and delivering improved customer experiences.
1. Manufacturing
AI on Azure is used by manufacturing businesses to reduce unexpected downtime, improve product quality and forecasting, and streamline operations throughout their supply chain.
2. Retail
If you own a retail business, you can use Azure AI for personalized customer recommendations and improved customer service using intelligent conversational agents.
3. Healthcare
The capabilities of Azure AI when used for healthcare businesses are enormous. From delivering insights from health data that support predictive and personalized care to accelerating scientific discovery and improving health outcomes, you can get much more done using Azure AI.
You can find more information about Azure AI and its applications here.
2. Vertex AI
Vertex AI is a tool introduced by Google Cloud. It offers fully managed tools for all use cases, allowing users to build, deploy, and scale machine learning models faster. The most significant benefits include the following:
- It offers a unified user interface for the entire machine-learning workflow.
- It provides the users with pre-trained APIs for vision, video, natural language, and more.
- It offers end-to-end integration for data and AI.
- It offers support for all open-source frameworks.
- It also provides the users with an end-to-end application development environment.
Some of the most widely accepted use cases for Vertex AI are as follows:
- Prototype to production – Vertex AI has every tool you need.
- Data readiness by supporting your data preparation process.
- Feature engineering
- Training and hyperparameter tuning
- Model serving
- Model tuning and understanding, monitoring, and management.
MLOps tools like Vertex AI are taking AI-based consulting to the next level. They help you get things done, faster.
- AutoML
- Deep Learning VM Images
- Vertex AI Workbench
- Vertex AI Matching Engine
- Vertex AI Data Labeling
- Vertex AI Deep Learning Containers
- Vertex Explainable AI
- Vertex AI Feature Store
- Vertex AI Model Monitoring
- Vertex ML Metadata
- Vertex AI Neural Architecture Search
- Vertex AI Pipelines
- Vertex AI Prediction
- Vertex AI Tensorboard
- Vertex AI Training
- Vertex AU Vizier
Even though you can get started with building on Google Cloud with free credits worth $300 and more than 20 free products, you can check out their full pricing details here.
3. Watson
Following the suit of revolutionary businesses like Google and Microsoft, IBM, too, has come up with its portfolio of business-ready tools and applications designed to reduce AI adoption's hurdles and costs. This portfolio is known as Watson. It optimizes resources and promotes the responsible use of artificial intelligence for data and AI consulting.
According to IBM, Watson
- has been ranked #1 in IDC’s AI Market for 2020 market share
- is being used by 70% of banking institutions globally
- is being used by 13 of the top 14 system integrators
With more than 100 million users already, Watson thrives on its trust, language, and automation capabilities.
Watson Solutions are mainly used in domains such as risk and compliance, financial operations, return-to-workplace scenarios, business automation, advertising, customer service, IT operations, healthcare, and video streaming and hosting.
The users can even extend the AI capabilities of IBM Watson by integrating it with IBM Cloud Paks.
4. ChatGPT
It has been only a few weeks since the launch of ChatGPT, but it has already taken the world by storm. Artists and technical professionals are using it to enhance their productivity and capabilities.
Several developers have found ChatGPT to help answer questions related to coding. Earlier, you would need to go through heaps of StackOverflow threads to find answers to these questions, and now it can be done within seconds. Many people are discovering the results from ChatGPT are even better than Google results. Text generation is indeed incapable of replacing developer jobs. However, it can undoubtedly help developers get things done more quickly.
Currently, ChatGPT is helping developers write better codes in the following ways:
-Makes coding more accessible
The evolution of technology has brought about numerous technological advancements that have made it easier for more people to become developers. This is primarily due to abstraction, which has made it simpler for a broader range of individuals to utilize complex technologies that specialists once only mastered.
-Acts as a research assistant
ChatGPT has been trained on a massive amount of text data from sources such as CommonCrawl, and WebText2 and code written in Python, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
As a result of this extensive training, ChatGPT can generate responses based on user input, making it a valuable research tool. While its outputs still require verification, it can provide accurate answers, saving time searching through search engine results or StackOverflow. Additionally, it can offer additional explanations to aid in learning and comprehending new concepts.
Utilizing ChatGPT for quick answers can save considerable time that would otherwise be spent researching. While relying solely on ChatGPT for information is not recommended, it's an excellent resource for obtaining answers quickly.
-Reduces tedium
ChatGPT enhances the coding experience, leading to fewer bugs and increased productivity. As it continues to support more complex requirements, it will relieve developers of repetitive and monotonous tasks, speeding up productivity and testing.
In the coming years, as AI assistants like ChatGPT advance, many of the tasks that currently take up many developers' time may become obsolete. This could include:
- Automating unit tests
- Generating test cases based on parameters
- Analyzing code for security best practices
- Automating QA
Another advantage is the automation of document creation. ChatGPT can help developers produce documentation for their code, such as API and technical documentation, by analyzing the code and extracting critical information, such as function and variable names, descriptions, and usage examples.
You can try ChatGPT yourself here.
5. GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is an effective AI tool for software development because it offers a range of features that streamline the development process and make it easier for developers to work together. Some of the key benefits of GitHub Copilot include the following:
Code Suggestions: The tool uses AI to analyze your code and provide suggestions for improvements, making it easier to write clean, efficient code.
Collaboration: The AI tool makes it easier for teams to work together, with features like automatic pull request reviews and code quality checks that help ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Context-Aware Assistance: GitHub Copilot is designed to understand the context in which you're working, providing you with relevant information and suggestions at the right time, helping you stay focused and efficient.
Integration with GitHub: Since GitHub Copilot is fully integrated with GitHub, it can be used seamlessly with other development tools and workflows.
With its combination of AI-powered code suggestions, collaboration features, and integration with GitHub, GitHub Copilot is a powerful tool that helps developers work together more efficiently and effectively, making it an effective AI tool for software development.
You can start using Github Copilot for free here.
6. Ghostwriter
Replit's Ghostwriter is the newest kid on the block. Beginners primarily use it, and experienced developers for generating functions and files, coding faster and refactoring their code. With its combination of code completion, error correction, context-aware assistance, and integration with Replit, Ghostwriter is a powerful AI tool that can help developers write better code faster and more efficiently, making it an effective AI tool for software development.
You can explore the capabilities of Ghostwriter here.
Limitations of AI-based Software Development Tools
While AI-based software development tools offer many benefits and can be very effective, there are also some limitations to consider:
- Reliance on Data: AI-based tools are only as good as the data they are trained on. If the data used to train the model is biased, the results will also be biased.
- Limited Creativity: AI tools can provide suggestions and automate certain tasks, but they lack the creativity and problem-solving skills of human developers.
- Technical Complexity: AI-based tools can be complex to set up and use, requiring specialized knowledge and training.
- Lack of Explainability: AI-based tools can sometimes produce results that are difficult to understand or explain, making it challenging to determine why a particular result was generated.
- Dependence on Algorithms: AI-based tools rely on algorithms to function, and these algorithms may not always produce the desired results.
- Integration Challenges: Integrating AI-based tools into existing development workflows and tools can sometimes be challenging, requiring significant effort and resources.
- Privacy and Security Concerns: AI-based tools can access large amounts of sensitive data, raising privacy and security concerns.
Despite these limitations, AI-based software development tools can still be very effective when used correctly and can help developers work more efficiently and effectively. However, it's important to carefully consider the limitations and weigh the benefits against the risks before using AI-based tools in a software development project.
To Summarize
It is no surprise that AI technology consulting and development have come a long way, and with the right tools, it's easier than ever to create cutting-edge applications. The AI software development tools of 2024 offer a range of capabilities, from data management to model training, that make the development process more efficient and streamlined. Whether you're working in the fields of healthcare, finance, or any other industry, there's an AI tool out there that can help you achieve your goals. It's essential to stay up-to-date with the latest tools and trends in AI development, so be sure to regularly check back for updates and new releases. With the right tools in your arsenal, you'll be well on your way to creating the next generation of AI applications.