At a recent Tech&Meet event at Howest, we had the privilege of hearing from Ir. Wim Delvaux, a civil engineer in Computer Science from KU Leuven. As a Solutions Architect at De Lijn and a part-time lecturer at HOGENT, Ir. Delvaux brought a wealth of experience to the table. With a background in product development and consultancy at companies like Cisco and Kone, he shared unique insights on the world of AI.

Exploring Different Types of AI

During his talk, Ir. Delvaux delved into the various types of AI and how they work. He explained both bottom-up and top-down approaches to AI, shedding light on the benefits and drawbacks of each. This section of the presentation was particularly insightful, as it provided a deeper understanding of the technical foundations of AI.

The Future of AI and Programming

One of the most fascinating parts of the event was when Ir. Delvaux shared his predictions for the future of programming. He described the evolution of programming languages, starting from machine code to assembly, followed by structured programming languages, and now low-level languages. Looking ahead, he speculated that we, as programmers, would eventually engage with AI models through conversation. Using our knowledge, we would verify the responses provided by the AI, and then begin coding in a way that allows AI to generate fully functional applications for us. This shift, he suggested, could drastically change how we approach programming.

Conclusion

Overall, the event was incredibly thought-provoking. Ir. Delvaux's perspective on AI and the future of programming gave me a lot to consider. It was exciting to think about how our role as programmers might evolve in the near future, especially with the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and other models.