Exploring the Use of Natural Language Processing Techniques for Enhancing Genetic Improvement

Abstract

We explore the potential of using large-scale Natural Language Processing (NLP) models, such as GPT-3, for enhancing genetic improvement in software development. These models have previously been used to automatically find bugs, or improve software. We propose utilizing these models as a novel mutator, as well as for explaining the patches generated by genetic improvement algorithms. Our initial findings indicate promising results, but further research is needed to determine the scalability and applicability of this approach across different programming languages.