Not a replacement, but a superpower: What our company gained from a hackathon

Basis company held an internal hackathon to test the hypothesis that artificial intelligence can radically accelerate the professional growth of developers. The main goal of the experiment was to determine if AI could help junior specialists reach a mid-level developer status in a short timeframe. During the event, employees tested various AI tools in conditions close to real-world work tasks. The organizers aimed to understand if the technology could become a full-fledged assistant, capable of not only automating routine tasks but also acting as a mentor to accelerate learning. The hackathon results demonstrated how modern neural networks change the approach to coding and increase team productivity. The article details the experience gained, conclusions on the impact of AI on engineering skill development, and practical advice on implementing such tools in a corporate environment for staff training.