The Matthew Effect of AI Programming Assistants: A Hidden Bias in Software Evolution
Authors: Fei Gu, Zi Liang, Hongzong LI, Jiahao MA
AI-generated Key Points
- The impact of AI-assisted programming on software development practices is explored
- Large language models (LLMs) influence coding paradigms through concepts like vibe coding and agentic coding
- Extensive experiments conducted on algorithmic programming tasks and framework selection tasks to analyze the interaction between AI-driven programming and the software ecosystem
- Discovery of a significant Matthew effect where LLM-generated code's success rate is correlated with the popularity of the programming language or framework being used, potentially reinforcing existing hierarchies
- Detailed experimental infrastructure outlined for conducting tasks using proprietary LLM APIs and three specific AI programming tools
- Methodology involves standardizing prompts across different technologies while maintaining consistent functional requirements
- In-depth analysis of AI coding processes, including cleaning up non-executable content from generated responses to ensure only functional code remains
- Approach to judging solutions generated by AI assistants using platforms like LeetCode highlighted
- Study provides insights into hidden biases present in AI-driven programming assistance at both language and framework levels, opening discussions about their impact on software ecosystem trajectories, innovation, and diversity in software development practices.
Abstract: AI-assisted programming is rapidly reshaping software development, with large language models (LLMs) enabling new paradigms such as vibe coding and agentic coding. While prior works have focused on prompt design and code generation quality, the broader impact of LLM-driven development on the iterative dynamics of software engineering remains underexplored. In this paper, we conduct large-scale experiments on thousands of algorithmic programming tasks and hundreds of framework selection tasks to systematically investigate how AI-assisted programming interacts with the software ecosystem. Our analysis reveals \textbf{a striking Matthew effect: the more popular a programming language or framework, the higher the success rate of LLM-generated code}. The phenomenon suggests that AI systems may reinforce existing popularity hierarchies, accelerating convergence around dominant tools while hindering diversity and innovation. We provide a quantitative characterization of this effect and discuss its implications for the future evolution of programming ecosystems.
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