Using AI for API design

In her tutorial, Jennifer Craig explores the use of AI tools like ChatGPT and the innovative smol developer for designing and generating code for a complete application architecture, specifically focusing on a RESTful CRUD API. She highlights the evolution of AI tools since the release of ChatGPT and discusses their potential to enhance developer workflows, despite challenges such as context limitations and non-deterministic outputs. The tutorial provides a step-by-step guide to using smol developer, a tool based on GPT-3.5 and GPT-4, to iteratively refine an API specification and generate code, while also acknowledging the current limitations these tools face, such as inconsistency and the lack of strict determinism. Craig concludes by reflecting on the impressive technical capabilities of AI tools like smol developer and their potential future improvements, while also recommending traditional tools like the Tyk open-source API gateway for more stable API development.