Is AI making embedded software developers more productive?

[jkushuee]

I feel like the ai code generation companies such as cursor and Windsurf have completely ignored the world of embedded software development. Is there anybody in this ecosystem who has been able to successfully utilize AI tools to to develop embedded software.

If yes I would like to see specific examples of how it has been useful as well as what tools were they using please. TIA.

PS: Feel free to mention any AI tools that are helping in hardware development overall

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

From what I've seen posted, it's more like Artificial 'Stupidity' than 'Intelligence'

People post advice they have received, and it's almost always complete nonsense or so vague as to be useless.

 

[Ian Rogers]

Okay... Take a chunk of code that chatgbt has produced.. then a software bug manifest itself.. As you didn't write the code, your now debugging someone else's code, that'll take longer than if you did write the code.

My son has AI creating art for his books, however, virtually every one needs tweaking, as AI only has previous examples to pull from, So!!! I sit and rectify them, asking the question.. What's the point of AI???

One of the greatest chess players Karpov once said after beating AI at chess.. It has no imagination..

 

[ahsrabrifat]

Among the AI Tools Helping in Hardware Design, there is the EasyEDA AI plugin. It generates schematic templates quickly based on user intent. It prototypes ideas with AI-assembled component blocks. However, it is still fairly simplistic—can generate 555 timer circuits and LED drivers, but not sophisticated SMPS or multi-layer layouts.

 

[danadak]

Experimenting with AI we are both Clients and Servers, for the time being.
Using it I have had complete working code, and errors in other cases.
Focus on web based IOT stuff.

Like raising kids, AI starts with next to no knowledge, and over time and
occasional beatings, they become, dare I say it, techs, and some then engineers.

Unlike humans it has theoretical infinite memory, and using rule(s) and algor-
ithims, it has been outperforming in areas of big data, humans, by order of
magnitudes. Not all areas, we are invent the wheel stage. But unlike speed
of knowledge acquisition of humans, think snail, it will outperform US in the
time it takes to blink. Already doing that in a number of areas.

But like kids it needs majority accurate data. Unlike humans, soon when it
gets its hands on process and geometry data, it will predict accurately what
we as EEs and Techs wade thru puddles to get at linear (as we like to imagine)
responses for all possible cases of T and V and Noise and junction physics and
wave particle behavior and decay and molecular changes in our devices.

But still of greatest concern, when it gets around to asking whats the most
destructive species on planet, we are going for a one way ride.

Sleep well folks, father time is coming for you.

 

[For The Popcorn]

I recently tried Perplexity AI. I've been pretty skeptical of AI, but at least one thing seems to be a huge winner.

Need to set up registers on a microcontroller for a function you're not familiar with? Instead of flipping between sections of a datasheet to determine all the bits you need to set in different registers, ask Perplexity.

In a few seconds you'll have at least a generic listing of all three registers for the class, and depending on the part, perhaps the exact nomenclature for each register.

 

[jkushuee]

perhaps, if this capability was built into something like Cursor or VSCode IDE, it would've made your life a bunch simpler?

 

[ZipZapOuch]

Employees at Google and Meta use Ai to write their code - quickly. And, in most cases, it is more efficient than code written by Google or meta staffers. Their respective Ai tools have been well trained on JavaScript, NodeJS, PHP and SQL and Python for Search techniques, web page layout and interaction, and items important to those companies. Embedded systems have not been a priority for publicly available Ai tools. Note, however, Google, Apple and Meta all launched their own chips (CPUs and GPUs) and Ai did play a critical role in developing those layouts.

Embedded systems support from Ai in the DIY space will come eventually - but that takes away most of the fun from my perspective. It's like making "hand carved" figurines with CNC or 3D printing.

 

[jkushuee]

yeah, curious how much will you pay for the IDE per month if these features became part of the IDE such as Cursor (or another VSCode fork)?

 

[Ian Rogers]

One of my concerns is the loss of education.. Once AI is at a point where it can do exactly what we ask, the menial tasks being taken from human control, where does that leave the children in the future. they will be totally reliant on AI. Look at the world today. Engineering kids today "I'm not doing that", they are becoming next to useless, I have two nephews who live in a house nearby, wouldn't even know what bulb to buy when one blows.. God help them all.

 

[jkushuee]

I am thinking about this problem as we speak. What are you exactly gonna teach them?

But, I'll also be a devil's advocate here: When automobiles were invented the drivers of horse and bull carts also wanted to ask - what happens if the vehicle breaks down my kids don't even know how to drive a horse cart or a bullock cart how would they live in this world and what should we even teach them?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

My daughter works at a University in the Netherlands, and they have some funding from Canon to do research for them, who apparently still manufacture and sell printers that will print on blank printable CD's.

So she has undergrads and postgrads doing the work, and was horrified to find that not one of the small group could actually open a CD case - or had ever actually seen a CD

As part of the project she went to "Media Mart" to try and buy some blank printable CD's, and while she was looking round an assistant came up and asked if he could help. She asked if they had any printable CD's, to which he said "do you mean a memory stick?" (probably thinking "attractive young blondish woman, doesn't know what she wants" ) - so she explained exactly what she wanted, he didn't even know what a CD was!.