Generative AI Assistants in Software Development Education

The software development industry is amid another potentially disruptive paradigm change--adopting the use of generative AI (GAI) assistants for software development. Whilst AI is already used in various areas of software engineering, GAI technologies, such as GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, have ignited the imaginations (and fears) of many people. Whilst it is unclear how the industry will adopt and adapt to these technologies, the move to integrate these technologies into the wider industry by large software companies, such as Microsoft (GitHub, Bing) and Google (Bard), is a clear indication of intent and direction. We performed exploratory interviews with industry professionals to understand current practices and challenges, which we incorporate into our vision of a future of software development education and make some pedagogical recommendations.