Microsoft is using AI to turn natural language into code

Microsoft's AI powered solution is limited right now but shows immense potential for the future of app development

Microsoft was granted an exclusive licence to OpenAI's groundbreaking GPT-3 language model last year. The technology is one of the most sophisticated text program's in the industry and was powered by Microsoft's Azure AI. The deal saw Microsoft spend $1 billion to become OpenAI's exclusive cloud partner and that included the licence to GPT-3.

The company will now use the advanced technology to drive its push toward a more natural language for coding. Currently, the feature is limited to Microsoft's PowerFX toolset which is a simple coding language derived from Excel formulas. The big advancement here is that people who don't necessarily know coding can use natural language to query and find the right code in the system.

Speaking with The Verge, Microsoft's Charles Lamanna said, "There’s massive demand for digital solutions but not enough coders out there. There’s a million developer shortfall in the US alone, so instead of making the world learn how to code, why don’t we make development environments speak the language of a normal human?”

The programs made in the low-code environment run as web apps and are meant to help companies tackle basic tasks like analytics, data visualisation and workflow automation without the need to hire a dedicated programmer for the job.

The new feature will be previewed in June and will also leverage AI-based Programming by examples or PBE where users can create scripts based on input-output examples from other code.