At a time when software development needs to be both quick and innovative, no-code AI tools are proving to be a real game-changer. The ability to drag and drop new capabilities into software applications, without the need for expensive and scarce AI coding skills, can take the capabilities of artificial intelligence to new audiences cost-effectively.
This is by no means the only advantage of using no-code AI in software development: this blog explores six of the most compelling benefits.
No-code platforms enable fast and effective software development without the need for any detailed coding at all. They generally bring together drag-and-drop tools, WYSIWYG editors and comprehensive end-to-end environments, making the process of introducing functions and capabilities a more visual experience. This ease of use is driving fast-accelerating take-up of no-code and low-code solutions: according to SAP, 64% of no-code users believe that they will be the primary choice for software developers by 2030.
In the context of AI, no-code tools facilitate the incorporation of AI to optimize operations, solve wider business issues, and further reduce the need for specialist programming skills in software development. Furthermore, the insights that AI can generate can inform software development teams’ knowledge base and skills, and enable more improvements in the long term.
Being able to utilize AI without the need for coding skills opens up access to the technology to far more development teams, and by extension, to more end-users. Instead, development teams can create sophisticated AI models, and configure the settings and rulesets within them through user-friendly visual platforms and interfaces.
Streamlining processes and workflows, and removing complexity through the use of visual interfaces, means that the software development process as a whole can be sped up substantially (by as much as 90%, according to McKinsey). This level of improvement, without compromising the quality of software, can make a real difference in getting new innovations to market before competitors.
Both of the two points above come together to enable significant cost savings in the software development process. Organizations can create high-quality code at high speed without having to invest in many - or even any - experienced coders that can be difficult and expensive to recruit. Further savings can be made through a reduced need for third-party integrations.
No-code platforms bring less technical team members into the software development process and can help them make more meaningful contributions. This in turn fosters a more collaborative atmosphere between teams, as more people can understand what’s needed to progress a project and work together to break down the barriers to success.
With more people involved and with development processes sped up, there should be more time and developer resource available to refocus efforts on innovation and problem-solving. This can expand the potential of creating and applying new functionality without the need for further investment, and improve job satisfaction by giving staff more creative freedom.
As drag-and-drop functions and visual workflows make application development much easier, it also becomes simpler to design new functions and enhancements to scale solutions over time. This can be vital when trying to adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace, or meeting emerging consumer demands.
As with any new innovation, some sectors and industries are better-suited than others to applying the new technology. From our experience in supporting a no-code approach, industries who can find it particularly helpful include:
No-code AI is suitable for a huge range of different software development use cases and processes - but not necessarily for all of them. Development teams exploring no-code AI should keep a close eye out for:
Because no-code AI platforms rely on template workflows and prepared components, it restricts opportunities to stand out from the crowd with unique features, or introduce more complex functionality.
No-code means developers don’t get access to the underlying code and infrastructure within a solution. This means that as the demands placed on an application grows, it’s difficult to make adaptations that can handle large user loads or big dataset volumes.
It can often be difficult to integrate no-code platforms with external enterprise-level applications and systems. This can lead to compromising workarounds and/or data silos which can negate the advantages of no-code platforms.
By 2025, it’s expected that as many as 70% of new web and software applications will be built using either no-code or low-code development platforms. This means that new innovations and capabilities will continue to come on stream to meet demand for the technology, such as:
The capabilities of AI within no-code development will continue to improve, including AI-assisted development that informs user decisions around workflows and components.
No-code AI platforms are already beginning to leverage the potential of blockchain, including the creation of decentralized apps and the ability to implement smart contracts without detailed blockchain expertise.
It won’t be long before no-code development can facilitate areas such as augmented reality and virtual reality (AR and VR), bypassing the need for 3D modeling or high-level programming expertise.
Even if no-code itself reduces the need for coding skills, human insight is still important to guide the implementation of no-code AI solutions. Working with an experienced, expert partner can deliver that crucial support, and enable rapid adoption of new capabilities as they come on stream.