13 Code reviews and AI
This chapter covers
- Benefits of AI in code reviews
- Limitations of AI in code reviews
- AI-powered code review tools
- The future of code reviews: Human-AI collaboration
AI is having its moment right now. We have AI-powered coding tools like GitHub Copilot (https://github.com/features/copilot) and Amazon CodeWhisperer (https://aws.amazon.com/codewhisperer/), which promise faster code writing and better code quality. We have Codium AI (https://www.codium.ai/) that “analyzes everything in and about your code and then suggests tests as you code.” We even have tools like DocuWriter.ai (https://www.docuwriter.ai/) to generate documentation for your code. AI is everywhere.
A 2023 GitHub survey asked 500 US-based developers at companies with more than 1,000 employees about how managers should consider developer productivity, collaboration, and artificial intelligence (AI) coding tools [1]. Some key findings are quite interesting: 92% of US-based developers are already using AI coding tools both in and outside of work [1]. Four out of five developers expect AI coding tools will make their team more collaborative. And 70% say AI coding tools will offer them an advantage at work. Naturally, the next thing developers wondered: What about AI code reviews?