Code Smarter, Not Harder: Generative AI in the Software Development Lifecycle

Keri Olsen, VP Product Management at IBM, discusses the evolving landscape of AI coding assistants and their pivotal role in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). The talk explores how IBM watsonx Code Assistant acts as an AI-powered coding companion, demonstrating its capabilities through examples and a live demo. Olsen highlights the benefits of generative AI in addressing IT skills shortages and accelerating software development, detailing IBM's full-stack approach to AI platform development and its applications in various business areas, with a strong focus on code assistance for developers. The presentation introduces new products like watsonx Code Assistant for Java modernization and other programming languages, emphasizing IBM's open-source Granite models and their performance. Success stories and upcoming features are also shared, encouraging attendees to explore the free trial of the new code assistant.