The Spread of “No Code”. No more programmers?

A joint research team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Intel has successfully developed an algorithm with the ability to generate algorithms. However, it’s too early to extend the fantasy that this could lead to an apocalyptic dystopia like the one ruled by Skynet.

What they have achieved this time is the automation of programming by machines. This allows programmers to automate a variety of tedious and repetitive tasks. And by taking this to the limit, anyone can program simply by describing the tasks they want to run.

The team’s system, called Machine Inference Code Similarity (MISIM), learns how one piece of software works by analyzing the differences in syntax between one piece of software and another piece of code that behaves similarly, or by studying the structure of the code.

The idea of a computer that can read natural language instructions and program them automatically has been around for some time and is already being put into practice by several no-code development platforms (NCDPs) created under the so-called “no code” movement.

A growing number of companies are building systems based on code created by third parties or obtained from repositories and platforms, led by start-ups that have the ability to design systems from scratch. Some have pointed to the new coronavirus epidemic and the proliferation of distributed work as the catalyst for the adoption of these types of platforms and tools.

In June of this year, Amazon.com launched Honey Code, a service that allows users to design and build applications by combining prepared modules.Similarly, Salesforce.com has its Lightning Application Builder, Google has its App Maker, and Microsoft has its Flow and Power services. Other services include WordPress, a website building tool, and IFTTT, a simple task automation tool.

Will “low code” and “no code” become mainstream in the future?　In fact, these platforms have been around for quite some time. Like many people, I created my first website with visual tools like FrontPage and Dreamweaver, which did not require any programming knowledge. These tools also helped me to understand how web pages work and the commands to perform certain functions.

Some have criticized the use of these tools as creating a Frankenstein-like system that is difficult to maintain, extend, and update if users do not have the knowledge to review the generated code. There are also security issues caused by a lack of knowledge and the possibility of vulnerabilities in the platform itself that can be easily exploited.

On the other hand, as the environment becomes increasingly complex and difficult for one person to master, some argue that these tools can assist developers in the development and maintenance work of the system, and that in the future, the programmer’s role and responsibilities will be limited to that of a supervisor.

In any case, as more people are able to design and build systems, there is a potential for disruption. It’s only a matter of time before technology allows machines to load the functions they want to achieve in the form of natural language or diagrams and generate the necessary code. In other words, traditional programmers will be out of a job when anyone can easily build complex systems with the click of a menu. In my opinion, however, such a leap is unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.

Source: Forbes JAPAN