AI makes everyday life easier for software developers – including at Panter. In which areas AI tools shine, where they cannot replace humans and how Panter deals with the technology.
From the customer’s point of view, the desire is clear: software development should ideally be fast, efficient and error-free.
But reality often puts a spanner in the works. Because really good code is only created if the dev team is given enough time and resources.
In addition, inefficient, traditional workflows and repetitive tasks, such as writing tests or code documentation, repeatedly tie up capacities that are lacking elsewhere or could be put to better use.
AI creates new opportunities in software development
This is where AI-supported tools come into play in software development. They take over routine activities, reduce frictional losses and help teams to work in a more scalable way.
This also pays off for clients.
After all, developers can develop more comprehensive solutions that are even better tailored to the needs of end users with the same effort.
AI tools allow developers to, among other things:
More speed in the development of solutions
Be it in the creation of drafts for business logic and patterns, in data preparation and analysis or in the search for suitable images and texts for demo versions. AI makes many individual tasks faster. The tools enable individual developers to enter significantly more tasks with basic skills and implement them independently. This reduces the complexity and coordination effort in the project.
The pitch phase is an example of what AI tools can achieve. Whereas just a few years ago, software developers usually created a slideshow, today, thanks to AI, they can build a functional prototype or demo version with a similar amount of effort. This gives customers a much better immediate impression of the proposal and the planned functionality.
Faster debugging
Finding an error in thousands of lines of code is quickly like looking for a needle in a haystack. Specialized AI tools can either identify the error in the code themselves or provide the developers with good clues based on the error message to narrow down the search.
Automated test generation
Writing tests is central to the quality control of code, but involves a lot of manual work and is therefore prone to errors. AI can create tests automatically. This saves time, avoids unnecessary errors and ultimately improves the quality of the code.
More creative programming approaches
With an AI tool as a sparring partner, developers can try out more different approaches more quickly to find the best possible solution.
More focus on strategic tasks
AI ensures that developers spend less time writing code. Instead, they can spend more time on strategic planning and creative tasks within the project, which make a greater contribution to ensuring that the end product is convincing.
How software developers at Panter use AI tools in everyday life
The use of AI tools in developer workflows is encouraged at Panter. Not only to make working methods more efficient and relieve developers of repetitive, less exciting tasks. When used correctly, the tools also create positive effects for customers. As the developers use their skills specifically on the more complex tasks, they can create additional added value.
For this reason, the Panter developers have a great deal of freedom in selecting and experimenting with different tools for different use cases. “We aim to always use the most powerful tool for each use case by constantly testing new tools,” says Jay Péclard, Senior Software Engineer at Panter. “Of course, always with the restriction that no customer data is fed into the tools and that data security remains guaranteed.”
Software developers at Panter use these AI tools
Cursor
Cursor has established itself as an AI tool at Panter within 18 months and is now used as a standard tool by many developers.
One of the main advantages is that the tool is based on VSCode. This means that it can be seamlessly integrated into existing setups and all project settings are retained. Thanks to the complete indexing of the codebase, Cursor understands the project context and can deliver relevant suggestions directly in the right context. Particularly noteworthy is the powerful autocomplete function, which also generates multi-line suggestions in good quality.
“This not only makes it easier to write code, it also increases code quality because tests are generated automatically, thus reducing manual effort,” adds Jay Péclard. Cursor is an indispensable helper, especially in the frontend, as it enables faster iterations and offers a variety of useful suggestions, particularly in terms of accessibility and error handling. And developers need to refer to the documentation less often, as the suggestions often work directly.
In addition, the cursor agent can also implement tasks completely independently and iteratively. The tool also supports collaborative working and offers many configuration options to respond to the needs of each team.
v0
With v0, developers can create complete projects and front-end applications via a chat interface. It is used for the development of prototypes and proofs of concept (PoC). This is because v0 makes it possible to quickly try out several ideas and transform them directly into working code.
This means that customers quickly get to see a very mature and interactive version, which simplifies further iterations. “But, and this is important,” adds Panter developer Jay Péclard: “The AI tool only creates the initial situation. Its code is not robust enough for a final version of the software. Human developers are still needed for that.”
Openart AI
Openart AI is used for the implementation of UI/UX ideas or the visualization of concepts. Developers can use this AI tool to generate and further develop very specific images for PoC and prototypes.
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the all-rounder that many Panter developers use for regular tasks. For example, as a sounding board, for generating ideas or as a personal digital assistant.
The limits of AI tools for software developers
As powerful as AI tools are, they still reach their limits when it comes to complex requirements. When it comes to architectural issues or strategic decisions in particular, the output of the tools is not sufficient.
The in-depth specialist knowledge of developers remains indispensable. After all, only those who understand the code can configure the tools sensibly or assess whether a proposal is really effective.
Developers must therefore always critically review the AI’s suggestions. Human exchange also remains central within the team: communication, code reviews and shared understanding cannot be replaced by AI, but at best supplemented.
Added to this is the responsibility towards customers. The handling of sensitive data is a key issue. It is important to ensure that no customer data is passed on to external systems.
How AI will continue to change software development
One thing is clear: AI tools are here to stay in software development. They are already relieving developers of many tasks and making their everyday lives easier. But the potential is far from exhausted. Here are three predictions on how AI is likely to leave its mark on the IT environment in the future.
- AI tools will be increasingly integrated into processes in the future, for example via AI agents that can also handle complex tasks independently and reliably.
- Code generation is becoming a completely standard assistance function in the everyday lives of developers – similar to how the smartphone has established itself in the lives of almost everyone.
- The further development of the tools leads to a continuous improvement in the user and developer experience. The tools can process more and more context better and thus improve the efficiency as well as the quality of their output.
How we make the difference with AI in software development
Panter attaches great importance to ensuring that employees have their finger on the pulse when it comes to AI in order to make processes leaner, in-house code better and internal teams more productive.
We support you with efficient, AI-supported workflows and the extensive expertise of our in-house development team. For a software solution that is precisely tailored to your requirements and will delight your users.
