I've tried a couple of time using ChatGPT on a coding assignment (because.... if I can NOT do it, better right?) and both times I got garbage and ended up doing the coding assignment myself.
I'm surprised with this response. I myself have found it extremely useful and ChatGPT has saved me tons of time with programming and non-programming tasks.
Agree. I haven't seen any examples of ChatGPT that might make me want to use it for my job. Yes if you are an inexperienced programmer (or just not very competent) then it might help you get something working I guess?
The only thing I use ChatGPT for is to generate simple bash scripts, and even that is mostly just a time-saver--I still need to sift through and make sure the code is actually correct which is only about 80% of the time.
I'm a software engineer and I don't find much value in ChatGPT. It provides a bit of help when writing very specific and short pieces of code for languages I know but don't use often. I'd be curious to have actual data on how other SWEs use it.
I was dismissive at first, but I have to admit chatgpt brings a lot of value to programmers. It saves me a lot of time remembering some APIs or syntax for languages I use only occasionally. It's sometimes wrong, but for programming, it's easy to detect and fix.
But it's more problematic for non-programming questions where it's hard to check the answer without googling it.
ChatGPT is awesome. More often than not, I ask it to do something and it produces something that works in some way on the first go. Then I debug it, but I debug it using ChatGPT and, in almost all cases, get to working code faster than I could have if I were simply writing it from scratch. It's also much more enjoyable and I can do other things while it types its answer.
Perhaps I find it so useful because I'm actually using it for real world tasks instead of trying to contrive an example that demonstrates its usefulness or lack thereof.
- Utilize ChatGPT to autocomplete code, suggest code snippets based on the context, and provide solutions to coding challenges. It can also suggest alternative approaches to implement a particular functionality, saving development time.
2. Fix bugs and errors:
- Describe the error or bug to ChatGPT, and it can provide a list of common solutions, possible causes, and steps to debug the issue, making the debugging process more efficient.
3. Translate code between languages:
- ChatGPT can assist in translating code snippets from one programming language to another, making it easier to work across different technology stacks.
4. Generate boilerplate code:
- Generate starter code for common tasks like setting up a REST API, creating config files, initializing tests, etc., with the help of ChatGPT, accelerating the project setup phase.
5. Improve existing code:
- Request ChatGPT to review, refactor, and optimize your code. It can suggest improvements such as better variable names, code structure, optimization techniques, and adding comments for better code readability and performance.
Writing/Content Creation:
1. Summarize long articles/documents:
- ChatGPT can scan through lengthy texts, extract key points, and present a concise summary, enabling quicker assimilation of information.
2. Translate content to other languages:
- Provide text to ChatGPT, and it can translate it to various languages, aiding in global communication and content dissemination.
3. Write first drafts:
- Outline your ideas, and ChatGPT can help draft initial versions, saving time and effort in the early stages of content creation.
4. Expand on ideas:
- With a starting sentence or paragraph, ChatGPT can develop a more comprehensive piece, aiding in brainstorming and content expansion.
Research/Learning:
1. Answer questions on demand:
- ChatGPT can provide immediate answers to a range of queries, offering a faster alternative to manual search.
2. Explain complex topics:
- It can break down complex topics into simpler terms, providing a clearer understanding and personalized learning experience.
3. Find code examples:
- ChatGPT can supply code samples for particular implementations, facilitating hands-on learning and problem-solving.
4. Get alternate perspectives:
- It can present different viewpoints on a topic, fostering a more well-rounded understanding and critical thinking.
Administrative Tasks:
1. Schedule meetings and appointments:
- Allow ChatGPT to handle scheduling, thus freeing up your time and mental energy for other tasks.
2. Fill out forms/paperwork:
- ChatGPT can pull information from databases to quickly fill out templated documents, saving time on routine paperwork.
3. Track tasks and todos:
- Utilize ChatGPT for task management to stay organized and focused on important work, delegating task tracking to the AI.
I learnt to code decades ago and later studied computer science and physics. I now work in marketing more than anything (the marketing side of other things like film, tech and politics). To do that I often build websites and apps. ChatGPT is invaluable to me. I use it as a coding assistant. It can write things in languages I don’t know enabling things that weren’t possible within budget a year ago. It works because I have the technical skill to prompt it properly - writing larger pieces of code in pieces - and because I have the ability to identify errors and fix them. If limited to the raw output it would be an exercise in frustration, but as a person with coding chops I can 5x my output by providing detailed feedback and suggested approaches. It’s quite revolutionary. That said though I work with text, photos and video I find it useless and uninspiring for creative output. For me it’s purely a technical tool.
My partner runs an ecommerce business and her team uses ChatGPT dozens of time a day.
Everything from writing emails to suppliers, correcting grammar, responding to customers, brainstorming new product ideas, explaining contracts etc.
Where as for me I can't find a use for it. Even as a coding assistant I find that I spent more time trying to understand/correct what it did than if I just wrote it myself.
Do y'all really use ChatGPT for coding questions? Every time I have tried, the answer I get is entirely wrong, and I end up going back to either first party documentation, or Stack Exchange.
I might be a mediocre developer but I find ChatGPT invaluable for my job. It finds potential problems in my code, suggests solutions, helps with libraries I don’t know about, helps in drafting solutions when given a high level description of the problem. It makes mistakes but I don’t expect it to be perfect. As a non native speaker, it also helps me with my English (didn’t use it for this comment).
I'm not trying to say it's AGI or perfect, but it saves time on some things.
And for coding I goto google and stack overflow less. maybe 8 out of 10 times I'm happy with ChatGPT. Since I mostly use it for coding I can verify pretty quickly if it worked out or not. for me it saves lot of typing.
I don't really use it a lot for programming. Whenever I'm writing some technical document and I find myself churning out some awkward sounding sentences (which happens a lot), I use ChatGPT to get some suggestions. I also find that ChatGPT gives better translations than Google Translate.
I use ChatGPT to assist with my hobby coding projects, especially for simple boilerplate stuff that would otherwise take me a couple minutes to lookup and implement. I mostly use it for Python and JavaScript/NodeJS.
It kind of lets me act more like I'm in an architect role. I know what to build and how to design it, ChatGPT fills in easy parts so I can focus on business logic.
I find it to be a great way to look up syntax or APIs, and generate simple examples of using these. So for example "In [language] how do you parse JSON?" will give me a usable example to follow much faster than trying to find the anointed Stack Overflow question and then sift through outdated answers to find the modern one.
If you need to revive a language you haven't coded in for a while (or regex or sql), ChatGPT can really help get you off the ground much faster, though you'll still need to understand the output it gives you and compose it together yourself.
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