AI is a huge trend across industries and sectors. The global artificial intelligence market size was valued at $136.6 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $1.8 billion by 2030.
According to IBM, 77% of businesses are using or exploring AI, and PwC found that 72% of executives believe AI will be the most significant business advantage of the future.
That’s all well and good, but here at Directus, we were interested in understanding how software engineers and developers – the people who use our platform – feel about AI.
We wondered what your plans are for using it, specifically, chatbots like the recently released ChatGPT and Whisper API from OpenAI. How will the technology impact the way you work and the projects you develop, and what concerns do you have about AI?
To satisfy our curiosity, we surveyed more than 200 software engineers and developers in March this year. Of those surveyed, 76% are building websites, 68% are building apps, 63% are building business tools. They’re also building integrations, games and other projects. Here’s what we discovered:
- More than half of developers (54.7%) have a positive outlook on AI, and only 5% say their outlook on AI is negative.
- More than half (51.5%) are likely to use ChatGPT/Whisper API in their projects or are already experimenting with it.
- Despite the hype, 1 in 5 developers say they have no plans to use ChatGPT or Whisper AI in their projects, and 27.5% of developers aren’t sure whether they’ll use it or not.
What’s the Expected Impact of AI?
When it comes to the impact AI could have on the development of their websites and software, a majority of developers (58.2%) are cautiously optimistic. Almost a third (32.8%) are excited about it, while 10% are still a bit worried.
What are they worried about?
- 73% are concerned about misinformation
- 51% are concerned about ethics
- 25% are concerned about the unknowns
- 17% are concerned about taking jobs away
Our research found that just 7% of developers have no concerns about AI at all, which means 93% still do. What will it take to calm those fears? Education and hands-on experience. Here are some tips to getting started:
Learn the fundamentals: Before diving in, build a strong foundation in programming languages like Python and R, as well as data structures, algorithms and statistics.
Choose an area of focus: AI is a broad field with many sub-disciplines, so it's important to choose an area of focus that aligns with your interests and goals. Some areas of focus include machine learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and robotics.
Take online courses and tutorials: There are many online courses and tutorials available for learning about AI, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. Some popular platforms for AI learning include Coursera, Udacity, and edX.
Experiment with AI frameworks and tools: There are many AI frameworks and tools available that make it easier to build and deploy AI applications. (Directus is one of them 🤓)
Participate in developer communities: The AI developer community is active and supportive, with many opportunities for learning and collaboration. Additionally, open source communities like the Directus Discord channel is a great place to get inspired, ask questions and discuss possibilities with other AI-focused developers.
Practice on real-world datasets: To build your skills and gain practical experience, it's important to work with real-world datasets. Directus can help you there, too!
By continuously learning and practicing, you can become a proficient AI developer and build applications that leverage the power of AI to solve complex problems. In the meantime, tell us what you think about AI by starting a conversation with others in the Directus community.