In the previous trend report, Patrick Stevens described four ways to accelerate the different stages of the software production chain using generative AI (GenAI). This raises the question: will GenAI replace low code? Or does it actually give a boost to low code?
Is GenAI slowing low code adoption?
We can wonder whether the adoption of low code will slow down or accelerate with the advent of GenAI. "I'm convinced that low code will continue to be accepted and implemented at the same pace. Because it's not GenAI and low code against each other, but with each other. They reinforce each other", says Anthony Dickinson, CTO of Conclusion Low Code Company. "At the same time, we see low code increasingly being incorporated into the heart of the organization to realize functions in critical processes."
And that's exactly what Gartner thinks in the latest version of the Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP): by 2029, the share of Enterprise LCAPs used to deliver mission-critical application development will grow to 80%, up from 15% in 2024.
Not low code vs GenAI, but low code AND GenAI.
GenAI-tools die specifiek gericht zijn op het bieden van ondersteuning tijdens het ontwikkelen van high-code bestaan al een tijdje. Denk aan GitHub, Copilot of Tabnine. Deze diensten zijn al volledig geïntegreerd in de workflow van de developer en versnellen de realisatiefase. “Een dergelijke beweging zien we ook in low-code. Je kunt nog sneller ontwikkelen, maakt nog minder fouten, en kunt je daardoor nog beter focussen op het oplossen van de klantvraag”, zegt Anthony. AI vergroot het potentieel van low-code.
The application of AI in the development process has been commonplace in low-code platforms for a long time. Anthony: "That's why the leading enterprise low-code application platforms, such as Mendix and OutSystems, have already embraced AI in 2019. It is integrated into the development environment. This way, after each action in code you will see a bullet, with one click you will get a list of possible follow-up actions within the context of your current function and application. If your follow-up action is listed, click on it and that action will be executed fully automatically. In this way, AI strengthens low-code development."
Low code and GenAI are driving a shift in development
Low code made the transition from textual to visual coding. Thanks to GenAI, we are on the eve of the next step: coding via natural language. This means you can generate (part of) your application, data structure, logic and user interfaces via a prompt. You can then tweak these by iterating on them. "This is already available in our low-code development environment and I expect this development to expand rapidly in the near future", says Anthony.
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