VENDORiQ: ServiceNow Launches Open Access LLM for Code Generation

Why It’s Important

In 2016 IBRS presented on the impact of AI on jobs, and noted that software development roles would be significantly impacted by 2025. The breakthrough in cost-to-performance of generative AI has arrived 18 months earlier than our original expectations, so the transformation of roles starts now.

The release of ServiceNow’s StarCoder model shows just how fast AI will infuse all aspects of the development landscape. Being open access it will democratise the power that AI brings to code generation. It can cater to both software engineers and citizen developers, effectively upskilling (or more accurately, augmenting the skills of) people at scale.  

StarCoder’s is an example of a genre-specific LLM. It is trained to specifically generate code and significant portions of the software development process. This has several benefits:

• It can reduce the time-to-market for new software solutions
• It lowers the ‘cost per line’ of code 
• It supplements developer’s existing understanding of a coding language, effectively augmenting their skills set
• It can be used to write codelets (e.g. Python scripts) that can integrate larger solutions, largely because it leverages well-established coding patterns for interfaces to many SaaS services and microservices. This is significant as it makes AI-generated code a key component of the digital fabric of fourth-wave ICT.

Exactly how generative AI such as StarCoder will change programming remains to be seen. While the rise of AI technology was expected and predictable, the structural changes it will have on development teams – and ICT groups more broadly – is a social issue.  

An immediate change is the use of StarCoder applied to the pair programming methodology¹Pair programming is a collaborative approach to software development where two programmers work together on the same task or piece of code. In pair programming, one person assumes the role of the ‘driver’ who actively writes the code, while the other person takes the role of the ‘observer’ or ‘navigator’ who provides input, reviews the code, and thinks strategically about the bigger picture.,  with text-to-code, text-to-workflow, and code review capabilities. IBRS also expects the role of business analysts (BA) to change as generative code enables departmental staff to co-opt aspects of the role. 

Who’s Impacted

• CIO and IT management teams
• Software development teams
• Business process management teams
• Service operations teams

What’s Next?

• Begin discussing how AI-infused code development tools will change roles within the application development field. Rather than focusing on jobs ‘being replaced’, explore how existing roles could be augmented and expanded with AI. 
• Begin experimenting with AI code generation tools. StarCoder is a significant new product, but others will follow quickly. For example. Microsoft’s CoPilot will be infused in every aspect of its various coding tools within the next six months. 

Related IBRS Advisory

1. VENDORiQ: ServiceNow to Acquire RPA Vendor Intellibot

2. VENDORiQ: ServiceNow Buys Into Observability With Lightstep

Footnotes:

• 1
  Pair programming is a collaborative approach to software development where two programmers work together on the same task or piece of code. In pair programming, one person assumes the role of the ‘driver’ who actively writes the code, while the other person takes the role of the ‘observer’ or ‘navigator’ who provides input, reviews the code, and thinks strategically about the bigger picture.