Exploring Google’s AI Model: A Civil Engineer’s Journey into Coding

In recent weekends, I embarked on an intriguing journey with Google’s latest AI model. The experience has left me both amazed and a little apprehensive.

To give you some context, my background lies in civil engineering—focused primarily on design and management—with no prior experience in coding or computer science. I recently obtained a free student license for Google’s AI tool and was eager to see if someone like me could navigate the world of programming without any formal training.

My goal was straightforward: I wanted to develop a simple application that could help monitor my small-scale projects. Nothing overly complex, just some basic charts and a financial tracking system, along with the capability to assess the health of the projects. While we already utilize software that fulfills these needs, I wanted to create a version tailored to my specific preferences.

Over the course of about eight hours during the last weekend, I essentially conversed with the AI model as if it were a team of developers. To my surprise, it generated entire segments of code on command, guiding me on which programs to download and where to insert the code snippets.

The results were nothing short of impressive. Despite my lack of coding knowledge, I managed to produce a functional application that suits my needs. While it’s not entirely polished and still has room for improvement, it meets my requirements and fits the mold I envisioned.

However, I find myself grappling with an underlying sense of worry. As I watch these AI models evolve and improve, I can’t help but think about the implications of their enhanced capabilities. They will continue to advance, and the potential of what they can accomplish is both inspiring and daunting.

Looking ahead, I plan to explore the development of additional small-scale applications in the coming week. It’s an exciting venture into uncharted territory, one that I never thought I would undertake as a civil engineer.

If you’ve had a similar experience or have thoughts on the capabilities of AI in coding and software development, I’d love to hear from you!