Better coding together: Stack Overflow and OpenAI work together

Stack Overflow and OpenAI will cooperate in the field of artificial intelligence in the future: OpenAI may use the content of the developer community to train its models to improve the generated code quality.

The ChatGPT provider will gain access to Stack Overflow's API and obtain "accurate and verified data" from there to train AI models and answer direct questions from ChatGPT users. How the data is checked is not described in detail in the announcement – it is therefore unclear whether this refers to Stack Overflow's own community rating system or whether an additional quality check is planned. In return for releasing the content, Stack Overflow will receive access to OpenAI's AI technology to further develop its own AI assistant OverflowAI, which has not yet been released.

It is not entirely clear in the text whether any additional money was involved – but it does say: "The partnership between OpenAI and Stack Overflow allows Stack Overflow to continue investing in community-driven features." The extent to which Microsoft is involved in the deal, as a major investor in OpenAI, is also not clear from the announcement.

Concerns about code quality

The partnership addresses two problems that artificial intelligence brings with it in the IT world: loss of content by the creators and a reduction in code quality due to AI assistants. There have been concerns for some time that coding assistants degrade the code. An internal study by Stack Overflow indicates that only 42% of developers surveyed trust the accuracy of AI-generated code. Stack Overflow has been taking a stand against this for some time now and has, for example, banned AI code from the platform. Users are not allowed to post it because "the average rate of correct answers from ChatGPT and other generative AI technologies is too low".

The new partnership now repeatedly and above all clearly emphasizes a hoped-for improvement in quality: if the AI learns with correct code, this should be reflected in the results.

The second issue concerns the use of copyright-protected content by AI chatbots. If the world only turns to them to solve its problems, the providers who develop the solutions at great expense will lose out on revenue. In the sense of: Even if the baked-on rolls are not as tasty as the original from the bakery, they are more convenient than having to leave the house again. Stack Overflow is also struggling with an increased decline in usage figures, the cause of which is feared to be AI assistants.

Stack Overflow had therefore already announced its intention to charge for its API, which is specifically aimed at AI providers. In addition to OpenAI, Google is also a partner here. Similar initiatives have been launched by Reddit and the US publishers' association News/Media Alliance. In Germany, Axel Springer announced a cooperation with OpenAI in December 2023, which also focuses on reliable content (without fake news) on the one hand and the use of AI technology on the other.

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