Low code AI in steering the future of productivity
Developers are the DNA of digital organisations, driving innovation at scale and modernising business operations. Like many other professionals, they are facing unique, evolving challenges in their workflows. As workloads increase, developers have had to navigate how to complete work more efficiently to keep up with the shifting landscapes of demands on their time and skills.
At an organisational level, businesses are actively seeking innovative technological solutions to address these challenges. The demand for low-code solutions is skyrocketing with more than 87% of organisations having already adopted or planning to adopt these tools¹. This strong adoption rate highlights the growing recognition of low code’s significance in enabling innovation. In fact, global low-code development revenue is projected to increase 20% in 2023², underlying the increasing utility and necessity of these tools for driving continuous innovation.
Within this landscape, AI-assisted development has become a paramount tool, helping developers streamline the development process, enhance productivity, and unlock new levels of innovation. AI-assisted development refers to the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies into the development workflow to augment and support developers’ tasks.
1.6x More likely to engage non-technical employees in creating AI applications⁴
AI high performing organisations are 1.6 times more likely to engage non-technical employees in creating AI applications using emerging low-code or no-code programs, which speeds up the creation of AI applications⁴. Organisations are witnessing increased business efficiency and value through these tools, enabling them to drive digital transformation and stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Harnessing the power of AI, businesses can deliver solutions faster and thrive in an era of rapid technological advancement.
Leadership in implementing AI solutions
Business decision-makers can empower their organisations’ digital transformation with AI capabilities. These capabilities help developers automate repetitive tasks, spend more time focusing on creative problem solving, and streamline the development process, providing an advantage over traditional development cycles.
Accelerating development
With faster development cycles, you can bring innovative solutions to market at an unprecedented speed, gaining a competitive advantage and capturing new opportunities swiftly. In a Microsoft survey of more than 4,000 employees and business decision makers, 89% of those who had access to automation and AI-powered tools said they felt more fulfilled because they could spend time on work that really matters.⁵ Using GitHub Copilot, 96% of professional developers report increased speed on what they would otherwise categorize as repetitive tasks.⁶
Creating satisfying work & productivity
In addition to increasing speed, next-generation AI can unlock new levels of productivity. In a survey, GitHub research found 88% of developers were not only able to get tasks done more quickly using AI-powered GitHub Copilot, but also 74% said it enabled them to focus on more satisfying work,⁶ leading to enhanced productivity.
Optimising costs
Traditional development cycles often come with significant resource investments, leading to higher costs. However, embracing AI-assisted development processes can drive substantial cost optimisation. These tools effectively automate manual tasks, reduce debugging efforts, and optimise resource allocation, resulting in significant cost savings. Developers who leverage GitHub Copilot, for instance, report achieving tasks in 55% less time compared to those who don’t, directly translating into reduced development costs. By incorporating cost-effective measures through AI-assisted tools, you can achieve optimal cost efficiency while enhancing your development practices.
“The app I built in Power Apps isn’t complex, but it definitely solved a complex business problem.”
Darina Nolan - Process Improvement Lead in the finance business unit at Vodafone
Darina’s app was used to reduce customer payments managed by her team by 40%⁷. Not bad for someone with no previous development training or experience. Through leveraging low-code AI capabilities, organisations can innovate and save valuable time and effort and stay ahead in a fast-paced, digital landscape.
Microsoft Power Platform
Microsoft is already reporting that the Microsoft Power Platform has delivered exceptional results for companies that develop digital solutions using these tools. With an impressive 140% ROI and 45% cost reduction in app development, businesses utilizing Power Platform have experienced tangible benefits³.
45% cost reduction with Microsoft Power Platform in app development³ for organisations that develop digital solutions using these tools.
AI and Copilots: a whole new way of working
Power Platform’s low-code AI features empower all developers, regardless of how much code-first experience they have, to actively contribute to application development. This democratization of development enhances your organisation’s agility and flexibility. With the ability to use natural language to create digital solutions and develop in new ways, business users can quickly build applications without extensive coding expertise and respond rapidly to changing business requirements. They can use Copilot in Power Platform to explain what type of app they want to create while also leveraging developer feedback through natural language to refine the app.
By harnessing the power of AI, Power Platform’s tools enable your organisation to accelerate the development process. These tools automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, minimizing the effort required to create applications and features. With Copilot in Power Apps, for example, users can build model-driven apps from scratch in under five minutes using conversational, natural language interactions, a process that would otherwise take hours.
For more information, or to get in touch, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft/ai
Refences
1.Forrester’s Developer Survey, 2022; Base: 476 C-Level Developers
2.Gartner forecasts worldwide low-code development technologies market to grow 20% in 2023. Gartner. December 13, 2022.
3.The Total Economic Impact™ of Microsoft Power Platform Premium Capabilities. Forrester. August 2022. https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-forrester-tei-of-power-platform-premium-capabilities.html
4.The state of AI in 2022--and a half decade in review. McKinsey & Company. December 6, 2022.https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2022-and-a-half-decade-in-review
5.AI: A Whole New Way of Working. WorkLab Forecast. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/ai-a-whole-new-way-of-working
6.Research: Quantifying GitHub CoPilot’s impact on developer productivity and happiness. GitHub Blog. September 7, 2022.https://github.blog/2022-09-07-research-quantifying-github-copilots-impact-on-developer-productivity-and-happiness/
7.Vodafone employees achieve big productivity gains with Power Platform while maintaining high governance standards. Microsoft Customer Stories. April 2022. https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/1490432735410264190-vodafone-telecommunications
techUK – Unleashing UK Tech and Innovation
The UK is home to emerging technologies that have the power to revolutionise entire industries. From quantum to semiconductors; from gaming to the New Space Economy, they all have the unique opportunity to help prepare for what comes next.
techUK members lead the development of these technologies. Together we are working with Government and other stakeholders to address tech innovation priorities and build an innovation ecosystem that will benefit people, society, economy and the planet - and unleash the UK as a global leader in tech and innovation.
For more information, or to get in touch, please visit our Innovation Hub and click ‘contact us’.
Tech and Innovation Summit, 6 Nov (rescheduled date)
Emerging technologies will be debated and explored at our annual Tech and Innovation Summit, taking place on 6 November. This campaign week will directly feed into the themes discussed at the Summit.
techUK’s flagship Tech and Innovation Summit returns to traverse the extraordinary and ground-breaking discoveries made possible by the application of emerging and transformative technologies.
Upcoming events:
Gaming & Esports Technologies of the Future
National Videogame Museum, Sheffield Panel discussion
A Black Lens: Exploring Representation In The Future of Extended Reality (XR)
LondonLatest news and insights:
Get our tech and innovation insights straight to your inbox
Sign-up to get the latest updates and opportunities from our Technology and Innovation and AI programmes.
Learn more about our Unleashing Innovation campaign:
Sprint Campaigns
techUK's sprint campaigns explore how emerging and transformative technologies are developed, applied and commercialised across the UK's innovation ecosystem.
Activity includes workshops, roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and flagship reports (setting out recommendations for Government and industry).
Each campaign runs for 4-6 months and features regular collaborations with programmes across techUK.
This campaign explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of space technologies and ultimately realise the benefits of the New Space Economy.
These technologies include AI, quantum, lasers, robotics & automation, advanced propulsion and materials, and semiconductors.
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and a report.
Get in touch below to find out more about techUK's ongoing work in this area.
Event round-ups
Report
Insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
This campaign has explored how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of the technologies set to underpin the Gaming & Esports sector of the future.
These include AI, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, haptics, cloud & edge computing, semiconductors, and advanced connectivity (5/6G).
Activity has taken the form of roundtables, panel discussions, networking sessions, Summits, and thought leadership pieces. A report featuring member case studies and policy recommendations is currently being produced (to be launched in September 2024).
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
Upcoming events
Gaming & Esports Technologies of the Future
National Videogame Museum, Sheffield Panel discussionEvent round-ups
Insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
Running from July to December 2024, this campaign will explore how the UK can lead on the development, application and commercialisation of web3 and immersive technologies.
These include blockchain, smart contracts, digital assets, augmented / virtual / mixed / extended reality, spatial computing, haptics and holograms.
Activity will take the form of roundtables, workshops, panel discussions, networking sessions, tech demos, Summits, thought leadership pieces, policy recommendations, and reports.
Get in touch below to find out more about contributing to or collaborating on this campaign.
Upcoming events
Event round-ups
Guest insights
Get in touch
Rory Daniels
Rory Daniels
Rory joined techUK in June 2023 after three years in the Civil Service on its Fast Stream leadership development programme.
During this time, Rory worked on the Government's response to Covid-19 (NHS Test & Trace), school funding strategy (Department for Education) and international climate and nature policy (Cabinet Office). He also tackled the social care crisis whilst on secondment to techUK's Health and Social Care programme in 2022.
Before this, Rory worked in the House of Commons and House of Lords alongside completing degrees in Political Economy and Global Politics.
Today, Rory leads techUK's emerging technologies activity across everything from immersive, web3, AI and robotics to space, gaming & metaverse.
This involves co-running techUK's flagship Innovation campaign, managing four series (including the 'Meet the Innovators' interview series), and launching 4-6-month 'sprint campaigns' on transformative technologies and sectors.
- Email:
- [email protected]
- LinkedIn:
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorydaniels28/
Campaign Weeks
Our annual Campaign Weeks enable techUK members to explore how the UK can lead on the development and application of emerging and transformative technologies.
Members do this by contributing blogs or vlogs, speaking at events, and highlighting examples of best practice within the UK's tech sector.
Summits
Tech and Innovation Summit 2023
Tech and Innovation Summit 2024