[2408.04032] Information Seeking Using AI Assistants
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Computer Science > Software Engineering

arXiv:2408.04032 (cs)
[Submitted on 7 Aug 2024]

Title:Information Seeking Using AI Assistants

Authors:Ebtesam Al Haque, Chris Brown, Thomas D. LaToza, Brittany Johnson
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Abstract:A good portion of a software practitioners' day involves seeking and using information to support task completion. Although the information needs of software practitioners have been studied extensively, the impact of AI-assisted tools on their needs and information-seeking behaviors remains largely unexplored. To addresses this gap, we conducted a mixed-method study to understand AI-assisted information seeking behavior of practitioners and its impact on their perceived productivity and skill development. We found that developers are increasingly using AI tools to support their information seeking, citing increased efficiency as a key benefit. Our findings also amplify caveats that come with effectively using AI tools for information seeking, especially for learning and skill development, such as the importance of foundational developer knowledge that can guide and inform the information provided by AI tools. Our efforts have implications for the effective integration of AI tools into developer workflows as information retrieval and learning aids.
Comments: Pre-print. Under review
Subjects: Software Engineering (cs.SE); Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)
Cite as: arXiv:2408.04032 [cs.SE]
  (or arXiv:2408.04032v1 [cs.SE] for this version)
  https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.04032

Submission history

From: Ebtesam Haque [view email]
[v1] Wed, 7 Aug 2024 18:27:13 UTC (107 KB)
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