We’re All Programmers Now

With generative AI, anyone can code. Here’s how to help your enterprise embrace this change.

by

and

Kerem Tomak

by

and

Kerem Tomak

From the Magazine (September–October 2023) · Long read

Blake Cale

Summary.

Generative AI and other easy-to-use software tools can help employees with no coding background become adept programmers, or what the authors call citizen developers. By simply describing what they want in a prompt, citizen developers can collaborate with these tools to build entire applications—a process that until recently would have required advanced programming fluency.

Information technology has historically involved builders (IT professionals) and users (all other employees), with users being relatively powerless operators of the technology. That way of working often means IT professionals struggle to meet demand in a timely fashion, and communication problems arise among technical experts, business leaders, and application users.

Citizen development raises a critical question about the ultimate fate of IT organizations. How will they facilitate and safeguard the process without placing too many obstacles in its path? To reject its benefits is impractical, but to manage it carelessly may be worse. In this article the authors share a road map for successfully introducing citizen development to your employees.

Idea in Brief

The Problem

Employees with no coding background are increasingly using generative AI and other easy-to-use software tools to build business process applications.

The Concern

Technology experts fear that citizen developers will introduce poor-quality systems that IT teams will have to repair, or that generative AI tools will replace IT entirely.

The Solution

Businesses should proactively recruit, train, and empower citizen developers so that they are working alongside, and not against, IT departments and other lines of business.

When Jason Allen took home the top prize for emerging digital artists at the Colorado State Fair, in 2022, he got much more than a blue ribbon and a $300 check. Allen, the president of the gaming company Incarnate Games, had created his submission, “Théâtre d’Opéra Spatial,” using a generative AI tool called Midjourney.

A version of this article appeared in the September–October 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.

Thomas H. Davenport is the President’s Distinguished Professor of Information Technology and Management at Babson College, a visiting scholar at the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, and a senior adviser to Deloitte’s AI practice. He is a coauthor of All-in on AI: How Smart Companies Win Big with Artificial Intelligence (Harvard Business Review Press, 2023).
IB

Ian Barkin is a founding partner of 2B Ventures; an external adviser to Bain & Co.; and formerly the chief strategy and marketing officer at Sykes Enterprises, which acquired Symphony Ventures, an automation consulting firm he cofounded.
KT

Kerem Tomak is the founder and CEO of MindspaceAI, an AI consulting firm, and a former global chief analytics officer at ING Bank in Amsterdam.

New!

HBR Learning

Digital Intelligence Course

Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Digital Intelligence . Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.

Excel in a world that's being continually transformed by technology.

Start Course

Learn More & See All Courses

We’re All Programmers Now

Idea in Brief

The Problem

The Concern

The Solution

Partner Center

Explore HBR

HBR Store

About HBR

Manage My Account

Follow HBR