AI poised to seriously ramp up DevOps and other forms of collaboration
It may be early in the process, but artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to change the way developers and operations teams collaborate with each other, as well as with their business counterparts. Ultimately, it not only means increased productivity but also greater job satisfaction -- and more strategic roles for IT professionals.
Again, we've only just begun. But a significant share of IT professionals are already employing AI to handle the more mundane tasks that eat the time they could be worrying about business matters. About 35% see AI's value in analyzing data, and a similar number see it as a way to improve security, according to a recent report released by Google Cloud's DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) team. Thirty percent see it as useful in analyzing logs or identifying bugs, according to the analysis of data from 36,000 technology professionals worldwide. At this point, barely more than 20% see its value as a collaboration enabler. This may change.
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As AI adoption expands through the enterprise, it will help to bring teams closer -- bringing together the necessary higher-level work of developers and operations teams, as well as their business-side clients.
"When there is less friction to get work done, teams can turn around requests quicker and have more patience with each other," says Doug Seven, general manager of Amazon CodeWhisperer at Amazon Web Services. "Through improving business processes, AI can help teams work towards business goals more closely together. Further, increasing developer productivity means shorter time to market and shorter time from idea to product."
AI enhances productivity, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration applications "that can automate or streamline time-consuming and tedious business tasks," Seven adds. Already, as the Google survey indicates, developers are sizing up AI to handle tasks such as security, log analysis, and bug identification.
By taking away tedious tasks AI allows "employees to focus on creativity and empathy," agrees Vinay Karaguppi, engagement director at Capgemini. "Careful implementation of AI dismantles silos and aligns teams, fosters understanding, and addresses concerns empathetically."
This brings in special skills above and beyond coding, testing, and building, he continues. "Leaders armed with wisdom and compassion play a vital role in nurturing connections. Thoughtful AI integration ensures a harmonious work environment."
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AI-driven applications, some already long on the market, "use AI to streamline business tasks and help teams work better together," says Seven. "AI in applications has been around for a while, but not many people realized popular tools and experiences are powered by AI until just recently when AI became a viral topic." For instance, his company, Amazon, has been developing AI-driven tools for more than two decades, as seen in its customer recommendation engines and AI-powered warehouse robots.
Still, even with many instances of AI in the field, it's going to take time for the full impact of AI to be felt within organizations, Karaguppi says. "Early applications, like meeting analysis, show promise, yet widespread transformation is lagging," he explains. "Leading companies are exploring AI to break down silos, necessitating strategic planning."
AI proponents also need to exercise caution as the technologies push forward. "As generative AI use increases and users get value, they build trust in the AI," says Seven. "We want that, but we want to be cautious of blind trust. As AI improves, trust is a critical component that can be lost if the AI hallucinates, so verification of the AI will continue to be a necessary part of using AI. Companies, researchers, and developers must keep involving human oversight to make sure AI is being developed, deployed, and used responsibly."
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In addition, "over-reliance on AI risks biases and narrows task automation," says Karaguppi. "Transparency is crucial to prevent AI from seeming threatening. Therefore, balancing technological capabilities with human wisdom remains crucial in navigating AI's complexities and realizing its collaborative potential."
Look to information flow and teamwork as the areas where AI will have its greatest impact. "AI transforms collaboration by enhancing information flow and teamwork," says Karaguppi. "Tools like meeting transcribers and project managers streamline data and enable creative focus. AI assistants automate tasks, freeing employees for strategic work. Cross-functional data analysis uncovers insights, bridging gaps and AI chatbots ensure seamless transitions, unifying teams."
AI "automates tasks, streamlines processes, and preserves core values," Karaguppi adds. "AI identifies workflow issues; allowing teams to focus on creativity and innovation and human judgment remains pivotal, ensuring the methodologies' essence. Thoughtful integration reduces friction, empowers teams, and preserves unity. Careful adoption ensures a seamless blend of AI's capabilities with human ingenuity, unlocking creativity within DevOps and Agile practices."
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AI's impact may go even deeper than collaboration, says Seven. "Long-term we will see AI capabilities integrating into all aspects of software development, increasing productivity for every person on the team, and improving collaboration. AI will accelerate nearly all workloads by eliminating the undifferentiated heavy lifting, and AI will drive innovation by aiding in the exploratory efforts of development teams. With AI-powered tools, experimentation, and innovation will become easier and faster. We are only seeing the beginning of AI's benefits."