Generative AI, Books
Book Review: The AI-Powered Developer by Nathan B. Crocker
A preliminary review of the book The AI-Powered Developer by Nathan B. Crocker on how to use generative AI tools to assist you in your journey as a developer
In the generative AI era, updating yourself on tools such as ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Amazon CodeWhisperer is almost mandatory.
In the book The AI-Powered Developer, published by Manning and currently in MEAP, Nathan B. Crocker guides the reader in using ChatGPT, GitHub Copilot, and Amazon CodeWhisperer as programming assistants.
Book Outline
The following chapters are currently available in the MEAP:
- 1 UNDERSTANDING LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS
- 2 GETTING STARTED WITH GENERATIVE AI
- 3 DESIGNING, THEN BUILDING
- 4 BUILDING
What I Have Learned from The AI-Powered Developer
The author defines an example that gradually deepens throughout the book, deploying the tools' potential.
In addition to suggesting what prompts to provide to the tools, the author also describes what happens behind the scenes. For example, he describes the differences between the three tools: Copilot and Wideshpeer build the code step by step, and ChatGPT builds the entire project.
GitHub Copilot and CodeWhisperer are excellent tools when the problem space and known, when you are ready for head-down highly productive coding. ChatGPT, on the other hand, can be used to explore this problem space, to prototype interactively, and to design and document your solution. (Nathan B. Crocker)
The author also explains how to get ChatGPT to reveal how to build the whole project and use it in the design phase. You can even ask ChatGPT to do the project using this or that technology! Is it not fantastic?
My overall score
I highly recommend reading this book to keep up with state-of-the-art tools and learn to program using these three valid assistants!
Book Identity Card
- Title: The AI-Powered Developer
- Author: Nathan B. Crocker
- Publisher: Manning (Currently in MEAP)
- Topic: Generative AI
- Reader Level: Developers with some skills in Python