The role of AI in software maintenance: A look into the future

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♪ The role of AI in software maintenance: A look into the future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer a topic of the future, but is already changing numerous industries today. The Software maintenance is also facing a profound transformation. From automated error prediction to intelligent code analysis to self-healing systems – AI promises to fundamentally revolutionise the way we maintain software. In this post we take a look at the most exciting fields of application and show how to prepare for this future.

AI application fields in software maintenance

The possibilities for use of AI in [maintenance](/services/software maintenance and care) are diverse and range from the support of human developers to the complete automation of certain tasks.

1. Predictive Maintenance

One of the most promising fields is predictive maintenance. Instead of waiting for an error (corrective maintenance) or waiting for a fixed schedule (preventive maintenance), the predictive maintenance uses AI models to predict wann and wo a problem will probably occur.

**How does that work? **

• AI systems analyze large amounts of data: log files, performance meters, error reports, code changes.

• Machine learning models recognize patterns that indicate an upcoming problem.

• Yeah. The system warns proactively so that measures can be taken, before there is a failure.

2. Intelligent code analysis and error detection

AI-based tools can analyze code and identify potential errors, vulnerabilities or violations of best practices that human reviewers may miss.

AI function Description

**Automatized bug detection * * AI models that have been trained on huge code databases can detect typical error patterns and indicate developers to suspicious places in the code.

Code quality analysis AI can evaluate the complexity and viability of code and give recommendations for refactoring.

**Safety scans * * Modern SAST tools (Static Application Security Testing) use AI to find subtle vulnerabilities.

3. Automated troubleshooting and self-healing

The Holy Grail of AI-assisted maintenance is the automated troubleshoot. First approaches in this direction already exist:

• KI-generated patches: Systems like GitHub copilot or specialized tools can generate suggestions for code fixes based on an error description that a developer can then check and apply.

• Self-Healing Systems: In the cloud world, there are already systems that can react automatically to certain errors, e.g. by restarting a crashed service or redirecting traffic to a healthy entity.

4. AIOps: AI for IT operation