Prediction: AI will make formal verification go mainstream
2 days ago
- #AI
- #Software Engineering
- #Formal Verification
- AI is predicted to bring formal verification into mainstream software engineering.
- Formal verification tools like Rocq, Isabelle, Lean, F*, and Agda allow for mathematically proving code correctness.
- Current formal verification is labor-intensive and requires PhD-level expertise, limiting its use to research projects.
- AI, particularly LLMs, can automate proof script writing, reducing the cost and difficulty of formal verification.
- AI-generated code needs formal verification to ensure correctness without human review.
- The precision of formal verification complements the probabilistic nature of LLMs.
- The main challenge will shift to correctly defining specifications rather than writing proofs.
- AI could assist in translating between formal and natural language specifications.
- Formal verification becoming mainstream depends on cultural acceptance as much as technological advancement.