Evaluating the Use of Generative AI in Software Development Proposing a Tentative Framework
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Management and economics of innovation (MPMEI), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Arkheden, Linnea
Eklund, Sara
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI (GenAI), has significantly
impacted society and industries, driven by its ability to generate original content from
data patterns. Recent advancements, like ChatGPT, have highlighted GenAI's potential
to boost productivity in software development. However, its rapid adoption also brings
risks, such as job displacement. This underscores the need to explore both the
opportunities and challenges GenAI offers, particularly its impact on professional roles
and processes in software development.
This Master's thesis aims to explore the use of generative AI within a software company
in two ways. The first question revolves around understanding employees' perceptions
of the use of generative AI related to their work within the company, by exploring
opportunities and challenges it presents across various departments. The second
question focuses on how to evaluate the use of generative AI in software development.
The study was conducted as a qualitative case study at the software company Zenseact,
where data was collected through interviews which enabled a detailed and
comprehensive analysis of the opportunities and challenges GenAI entails. Findings
indicate a general tendency to embrace generative AI, with varying degrees of
enthusiasm and skepticism shaped by personal and professional views. Despite
concerns about security and privacy the sentiment towards GenAI remains positive.
Findings recognize opportunities to boost efficiency and creativity by automating tasks,
improving information processing, and enhancing learning. Challenges include the
reliability of GenAI outputs, ethical considerations, job market effects, and reskilling
needs. Evaluating GenAI in software development involves both quantitative metrics
like time savings and productivity, and qualitative measures such as user satisfaction
and perceived value, to fully assess its impact and utility. Previous literature suggests
that software development will be revolutionized through AI-generated code, however,
the findings of this study imply that GenAI could have a larger impact on other parts of
the software development process.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
generative AI , software development , perception , developer productivity , semi-structured interviews , technological adoption , qualitative evaluation