When I started my career in mobile development, the existence of AI as it is now was not a thing. Learning was usually a gritty and difficult task. Since there were no AI shortcuts, almost every part of the process had to be built manually, or you had to rely on pre-existing models in some cases. If your code had a bug (which it often did), you automatically became a detective, popping up your magnifying glasses and going through the evidence (code) line after line. It wasn't easy, but finding a bug or completing a new mobile app often felt fulfilling. This meant that with each app I built, I encountered new challenges and had to learn more to overcome them. It wasn’t easy, but the payoff in knowledge was incredible. Now times have changed, and change isn't a bad thing; in fact, it makes processes more straightforward. So, in this article, I'll be looking at a couple of areas where AI is changing the role of mobile developers, and how you, as a beginner or an expert, can take advantage of AI for your own growth. If you believe that there are certain vital changes I've overlooked or you've a unique way AI helps you as a developer, please share your thoughts and experiences in the comment section. Areas where AI is changing the game for mobile app developers One is in capturing data With the proliferation of AI tools, developing smarter apps is now more commonplace, which increases the relationship brands have with their apps and the likelihood that users can better engage and enjoy these apps. For you, the developer, it's essential to understand how to capture the right data, where it comes from, and how to retrieve this data without making users uncomfortable, ultimately turning first-time users into repeat users of your app. Knowing how to use AI tools This is another change that mobile app developers are experiencing in real-time. As a mobile developer who has worked freelance and in employed positions, I have seen brands and companies come to expect mastery of AI tools for various aspects of the development process. Even established tech giants like Google are in on this. It is a sign of the times, and one that we have to get used to. Developing humanized apps This is another expectation that many mobile developers have to face. From including contextually intelligent chatbots and in-app prompts to full-service AI Assistants like Siri and Gemini, the demand for apps with humanized features is at an all-time high, and mobile developers are expected to deliver on this. Users now want systems that make it easy to navigate and find, and AI is a great fit for this. These general expectations now shape the way developers use AI and relate with clients and users alike. How can a mobile developer harness AI for better workflow? UI and UX Design assistance. This is an area where designers and developers often butt heads. The old workflow often looks like this: the designer designs mockups, the developer manually implements these mockups, and then there are back-and-forths until an app is ready. Now, design tools have AI capabilities that allow conversion from mock-ups to code, i.e Figma to code AI. This reduces iteration times, helping designers and developers build better and more responsive sites. These tools not only reduce friction between designers and developers but also help developers improve design intuition while granting designers a basic understanding of code. Code Generation and Automation The tedious process of writing boilerplate code, creating data models, and even manually putting up navigation patterns are just a few of the more common manual tasks in the mobile development workflow. This has changed significantly with tools like GitHub Copilot, Amazon CodeWhisperer and even Tabnine. These tools suggest entire functions and allow you to generate entire CRUD operations in seconds. They allow you to spend more time on the creative aspects while handling the more manual areas. Debugging and error resolution. Bugs, the developers' nemesis. Imagine spending six hours staring at code to catch a single line out of place; it can drive you crazy. Intelligent IDEs and AI-powered analyzers have taken some of the strain in debugging off the shoulders of designers. With new AI tools, you can pre-analyse your code for potential errors, receive error messages when AI sweeps through your code, conduct automated unit tests and optimize your code for better performance, all within a much shorter timeline than in the past. Challenges faced by mobile developers in adopting AI. Over-reliance on AI Many newbies and even more experienced mobile developers have begun to outsource their learning and skill development to AI. This is detrimental in the long run, as AI is far from perfect despite the promises it makes. I'll always advise mobile developers to take their skill development seriously and strive for continuous improvement. Code quality concerns Not all codes generated by AI are good or accurate. It is essential for skilled developers to review and test their code thoroughly. Developers with experience can often tell when a code won’t compile just at its first appearance. AI shortcuts. While developers aim to utilise AI to reduce their workload and automate processes, AI can also take shortcuts, particularly when generating code. There have been instances where AI generates a code that works, but is less secure than what a mobile developer would have crafted. Conclusion With the advancement AI has brought, it isn't perfect. AI sometimes hallucinates, generates crappy code, and can be rigid with certain details. Experienced mobile developers can easily avoid some of AI’s coding pitfalls, but newer developers have to understand some of the rigours of coding to spot some AI errors. At the end of the day, while I utilise some AI tools to make my workflow easier, I understand that these are merely tools. Newer, more effective tools give us mobile developers the ability to be more creative and leave more tedious or repetitive tasks to AI tools. Keeping this in mind, you can better level up your craft while delivering the best of services to your clients.

This writer has a vested interest be it monetary, business, or otherwise, with 1 or more of the products or companies mentioned within.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

AI Is Changing the Role of Mobile Developers—Here's How

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