TL;DR:
- Generative AI is set to boost the use of low-code and no-code platforms, potentially leading to a new class of development tools.
- Low-code and no-code platforms that integrate generative AI models with visual developer interfaces are expected to see strong adoption.
- Microsoft’s Power Apps offers ChatGPT-based functionalities, including a chat interface for simple app creation.
- Generative AI capabilities will lower barriers to the adoption of low-code platforms, attract business users, and aid professional developers facing a shortage.
- The integration of generative AI could result in an immediate revenue surge for vendors and increase the low-code app development market.
- Challenges such as data security and governance issues will arise, but the capabilities of generative AI could lead to the birth of a new class of developer technology.
- Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are expected to gain from the addition of generative AI to low-code and no-code platforms, with Microsoft ahead of the competition.
- The market for generative AI for application development is expected to reach $4.1 billion by the end of 2023, growing at a rate of 32% per year.
Main AI News:
Low-code and no-code platforms have already made a significant impact in enabling business users to create software applications with limited coding experience. But, the introduction of generative AI is set to supercharge the use of these platforms and potentially lead to a new class of development tools.
Professional developers are already experimenting with the integration of ChatGPT in software development. Early results suggest that ChatGPT can play a helpful role, including code review, but experts predict that complex applications will not entirely rely on AI tools. However, generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the use of low-code and no-code platforms, according to industry insiders.
Low-code and no-code platforms that integrate the benefits of visual developer interfaces with generative AI models will likely see the strongest adoption. This will enable users to choose between natural language or visual components to refine results, as noted by IDC Research Manager Michele Rosen. The combination of generative AI and low-code/no-code platforms will lower the barriers to adoption and further empower business users to create applications, speeding up development cycles.
Microsoft’s Power Apps, equipped with the addition of Copilot, already offers ChatGPT-based functionalities, including a chat interface for simple app creation. The resulting app can even contain an instance of ChatGPT for end-users, according to Ryan Cunningham, VP of Microsoft Power Apps. The generative AI capabilities give business users the power to create applications, even without a background in computer science or coding.
Forrester Principal Analyst, John Bratincevic, agrees that the integration of generative AI will lower barriers to the adoption of low-code platforms and attract business users since the learning curve will be even lower. The integration will also aid professional developers who are facing a shortage globally.
Generative AI coding capabilities will be particularly useful for developers working on larger projects, looking for shortcuts to support commoditized or common sense requests, as noted by Hyoun Park, Principal Analyst at Amalgam Insights.
Low-code platform provider Mendix is already working on integrating developer-guidance features into its development platform, according to Amir Piltan, Senior Product Manager of AI at the company. The integration of generative AI could result in an immediate revenue surge for vendors and increase the low-code app development market by five to ten times, as estimated by Amalgam Insights.
While the implementation of generative AI presents benefits, it also brings challenges. Familiarizing with natural language prompts may take time, and legal and security concerns may arise. Ensuring data security and governance will require advanced solutions.
Despite these challenges, generative AI has the potential to create a new class of developer technology and result in gains for Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in the low-code and no-code platform market, with Microsoft potentially having an advantage, as stated by Forrester’s Bratincevic. The need for generative AI capabilities will also trigger purchases in the intelligent developer technology market.
The market for generative AI for application development is expected to reach $4.1 billion by the end of 2023, growing at a rate of 32% per year, according to Constellation Research. The future looks bright for the integration of generative AI in low-code and no-code platforms, with exciting possibilities for enterprises, developers, and vendors.
In the world of low-code and no-code platforms, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are touted as the likely front-runners in the integration of generative AI. Microsoft’s early investments in generative AI and dominance in enterprise adoption as the number one low-code platform puts the tech giant ahead of the competition, according to John Bratincevic, Principal Analyst at Forrester.
Ryan Cunningham, Vice President of Microsoft Power Apps, cites 7.4 million monthly new builds on the platform. The demand for generative AI capabilities in low-code platforms will also spur acquisitions in the intelligent developer technology market, predicts Hyoun Park, Principal Analyst at Amalgam Insights. Park predicts that the most successful generative low-code platforms will be acquired by larger vendors looking to manage the application development lifecycle.
Conlcusion:
The integration of generative AI in low-code and no-code platforms is expected to revolutionize the development of software applications. The combination of visual developer interfaces and generative AI models is expected to see strong adoption, lower barriers to adoption, and speed up development cycles.
The market for generative AI for application development is estimated to reach $4.1 billion by 2023, growing at a rate of 32% per year. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are expected to gain from the addition of generative AI, with Microsoft potentially ahead of the competition due to its early investments and dominance in the enterprise low-code platform market.
The demand for generative AI capabilities is also expected to drive acquisitions in the intelligent developer technology market. While there are challenges, such as data security and governance issues, the capabilities of generative AI have the potential to lead to a new class of developer technology.
