Can AI write code?

AI can suggest code, but you are responsible for using it

You are staring at a spreadsheet that needs a formula, or reading a short piece of code you cannot make sense of. AI can suggest a solution and explain it in a few minutes. For your first try, choose a small task and information you can check yourself.

Try your first coding exercise

1. 1

   Choose a small, reversible task

   Start with a calculation formula or formatting an invented list of text: a task you can undo that does not require a real system or account.

2. 2

   Use sample data

   Make up a few example rows yourself or use a version of a file with invented data, so that no real customer or employee information enters the conversation.

3. 3

   Ask for an explanation and limits

   Ask what each part does, what it can change and what assumptions it relies on before deciding whether to run the suggestion.

4. 4

   Test it and check the result

   Try the formula in a copy of the spreadsheet or a practice environment, and compare the result with an expected answer you calculated by hand or know in some other way.

Write a spreadsheet formula for an imaginary spreadsheet where cells A2:A6 contain integers. Calculate their average in cell A7. Explain each part, say what happens to empty cells and give a small test spreadsheet with expected results.

One of the cells A2:A6 is empty. Explain whether it counts as zero in the average in A7 or is left out of the calculation, and update the test spreadsheet to show this case.

Assess this code suggestion before I run it: "function total(items) { return items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item, 0); }" Explain in plain language what it does, what it assumes about the input and how I would test it with a few example values before trusting it.

Improve the request so the result can be tested

Write a practice example that prints an invented list of five files in alphabetical order without touching real files. Explain the code line by line and give the expected result.

When do you need an expert?

• The code handles personal data, money, passwords, a production system or customer information.
• The code can send messages, make purchases, delete data or change permissions.
• You cannot explain what the code does or how to undo the effects of an error.
• The code will be used in a service that will be published or in a workplace system.

Once you know the basics

The next step is to learn to write test cases in advance and ask AI to assess its own solution critically.