LFCS Seminar: Wednesday 12 June - Andy Gordon
Title: Requirements are All You Need: The Final Frontier for End-User Software Engineering
Abstract
Based on a joint position paper with Diana Robinson, Christian
Cabrera, Neil D. Lawrence, and Lars Mennen.
Paper abstract:
What if end users could own the software development lifecycle from
conception to deployment using only requirements expressed in
language, images, video or audio? We explore this idea, building on the
capabilities that generative Artificial Intelligence brings to
software generation and maintenance techniques. How could designing
software in this way better serve end users? What are the implications
of this process for the future of end-user software engineering and the
software development lifecycle? We discuss the research needed to
bridge the gap between where we are today and these imagined systems of
the future.
Andy Gordon is a computer scientist specializing in programming
languages, AI, and human-computer interaction, with a special
interest in spreadsheets. After 26 years at Microsoft, Andy is now
Chief Science Officer at software synthesis company Cogna. As Partner
Research Manager at Microsoft Research, Andy led a diverse team of
researchers and engineers to evolve Microsoft Excel as an end-user
programming language. Their impact includes natural language
formulas using generative AI in Copilot for Excel, the Calc.ts
client-side execution engine for Excel formulas, Excel Labs, and
formula features like LET/LAMBDA. Andy was recognised as a 2020 Fellow
of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for his research on
programming languages: principles, logic, usability, and
trustworthiness. As an academic, Andy is now Honorary Professor at the
University of Edinburgh, following 12 years as full Professor. His PhD
research at Cambridge contributed to the design of monadic I/O in
Haskell, with his ASCII art “»=” inspiring the Haskell logo.
LFCS Seminar: Wednesday 12 June - Andy Gordon
Note unusual time and day.
Venue: TBD