AI in Front-End Dev: Your Creative Partner or Job Snatcher?

Hello, I'm Alessandra Sfalato, I'm a Developer Relations Engineer at Storyblok, and today we're diving into an exciting and sometimes controversial topic. AI in front-end development. Is it your creative partner or your job snatcher?

So, first, what is programming for you? It's essence, it's goal. Programming is not just tools and syntax. It's about storing data, making calculations and algorithms, and the goal is not to create beautiful code, but to create solutions. And our job as developers is to use our creativity and knowledge to solve problems. But not just problems in our code, real-world problems that the application we are working on is solving. We must have a global vision and not be lost in our code only. Code is a tool.

So, let's have a quick journey to the evolution of programming tools. Believe it or not, we started with stone carving because we store data in these stones. Moved through paper and punch cards and arrived to our modern code editors, like VS Code, and now we're stepping into the era of AI. Each step has brought changes and empowered us to be more creative by handling the tedious tasks. The huge difference between this step and the AI step is the pace. AI is going very, very fast, so we need to adapt very quickly.

So, this is a representation of Ada Lovelace, the first programmer. We have done that with MidJourney. And think if she was here with us today, would she lose her job because of AI? I think quite the contrary. Think of what she could create with the tools we have now. And now this is again Ada, nowadays with a laptop and dress. And imagine her everyday life. It would have seemed magical to her. She wrote algorithms by hand that we can now implement with a few keystrokes. Our modern tools would amplify her genius just as AI can amplify ours. Ada wouldn't be out of job. She'd be leading the charge, innovating and pushing the boundaries just as she did in her time. So, consider Ada as a symbol, so now she's here with AI, as a symbol of what we can achieve with AI in our toolkit. She honours the power of the analytical engine and now we have AI, our modern-day equivalent. Her legacy isn't just in her historical contribution, but in the mindset she represents, one of curiosity, innovation and pursuit of knowledge. With AI we can ask ourselves what would have Ada built today? The possibilities are endless.

AI empowers us to take on more ambitious projects, streamlines our workflows and innovate at a pace Ada would have dreamed of. So, as Ada transcended the limitation of her time, let's use AI to transcend ours, building things we've never imagined possible.

So, let's address a common misconception. AI can code, so we don't need it anymore. Not quite. AI is a powerful tool, but it's not infallible. When it comes to advanced coding, a deep understanding of the code is crucial. AI can generate code, but it's our expertise that refines it, gives it context and evaluates its effectiveness. This is a cyclical process of iteration, much like a dialogue with the AI to reach the best solution.

So, think of natural language as a new programming language. To leverage AI effectively, you still need to understand programming principles. It's like if you want to use AI to draft a basic legal contract. Okay, you can do it. But if you want to do something more advanced and you don't know about legal matters like me, so you will ask a lawyer that will perhaps use AI himself to craft this contract and then refine it, etc. with its knowledge. So, it's the same for each profession.

We're moving into an era where we will be working alongside AI. We must evolve our skills. We must stay ahead of emerging technologies and methodologies in programming. The practical applications of AI development include coding faster, fixing bugs, using tools like copilot or cursor for code explanations, staying in the flow without distractions, learning with AI, navigating documentation, and building applications that anticipate user needs, personalize experiences, or automate complex tasks. If you dream of launching your own SaaS, AI can pave the way. And if you consider a career shift, the demand for AI engineers is going to be huge.

We can also learn things with AI. We can use a GPT and ask it to build us a program to learn something new and to give us exercise, etc. We can also navigate documentation with AI, ask AI to explain us a part that we don't really understand, like if we are five years old or in our language. I do that all the time.

So, AI is not just for coding and learning assistance. You can use AI to build applications that anticipate user needs, personalize experience or automate complex tasks. So, if you dream of launching your own SaaS, this is the way. And if you consider a career shift, the demand for AI engineers is going to be huge. And as JavaScript developers, believe it or not, your skills are a strong foundation to build on.

In conclusion, natural language is emerging as a new tool for our trade. But let's not forget, the essence of being a developer cannot be replicated by AI. Our ability to understand deeply, innovate bravely and solve problems creatively is what makes us uniquely human. So, as we embrace AI, remember that is not a replacement but a supplement to our human capabilities. Let's continue to push the boundaries of what's possible by learning to code along with AI as well as learning to use it to build applications. AI can support us in becoming the best developers we can be. So, thank you. I hope you like this talk and here you can scan this QR code to get a slide. So, I would like to be here with you. But I hope you enjoy it. Bye.