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Sema Founder and CEO Matt Van Itallie recently joined the Stack Overflow podcast team to discuss why it's important to tackle technical debt resulting from GenAI code sooner vs. later. Some key points from the discussion:
How GenAI augments developer career paths
Being an engineer is a craft and should not be approached as assembly line work. It is a practice with nuance, judgment, and opportunity to grow. GenAI helps to further this craftspersonship and creativity. That’s a plus for the organization as a whole too– helping developers improve their skill makes software development teams more productive.
The biggest risk associated with GenAI code
Matt and the Stack Overflow podcast hosts elaborate that the biggest risk of GenAI in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) is not using GenAI. That’s because GenAI improves developer flow state, increases developer productivity, and supports faster roadmap delivery.
How GenAI code can contribute to technical debt
Despite the advantages, there are challenges with GenAI code without a human in the loop. Studies indicate code generated purely by Generative AI can be less secure. Too there is the potential for legal risk, including the issue of GenAI code not receiving IP protections like copyright or patent.
Matt reminds us that these are solvable problems — his team at Sema is passionate about doing exactly that.
The path to resolving GenAI code quality issues
Developers can solve GenAI code issues by blending it. Practically speaking, that means leaning into editing the code — to think critically and creatively about the code being generated. With this mindset, GenAI risk has the potential to be a multiplier of positivity on engineering teams.
How Sema improves GenAI code quality
Sema’s AI Code Monitor provides a dashboard with GenAI usage metrics. So engineering directors and managers can easily assess how much GenAI code is being used and what the associated risks are.
The dashboard provides a clear line of sight into GenAI code at the repo, product and developer level. It also provides tailored information to your legal nexus while also generating rapid assessments of pure versus blended code. The AI Code Monitor also makes it easy to track relevant compliance standards.
With this perspective, engineering directors have a command center to balance the risk and reward side of GenAI code usage. As a result, they can more easily shepherd their teams to better code quality outcomes.
Bottom line
Engineering teams improve when technical debt gets resolved sooner rather than later.
Using a solution like the AI Code Monitor, GenAI technical debt can be avoided from the onset.
Better code yields more engaged developers and more valuable technology companies — and that’s better for everyone.
Check out the podcast below.
Keeping track of global GenAI compliance standards
Periodically, Sema publishes a no-cost newsletter covering new developments in Gen AI code compliance. The newsletter shares snapshots and excerpts from Sema’s GenAI Code compliance Database. Topics include recent highlights of regulations, lawsuits, stakeholder requirements, mandatory standards, and optional compliance standards. The scope is global.
You can sign up to receive the newsletter here.
About Sema Technologies, Inc.
Sema is the leader in comprehensive codebase scans with over $1T of enterprise software organizations evaluated to inform our dataset. We are now accepting pre-orders for AI Code Monitor, which translates compliance standards into “traffic light warnings” for CTOs leading fast-paced and highly productive engineering teams. You can learn more about our solution by contacting us here.
Disclosure
Sema publications should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general information purposes only. To request reprint permission for any of our publications, please use our “Contact Us” form. The availability of this publication is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. The views set forth herein are the personal views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Firm.
