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Facebook Creates an AI-Based Tool To Automate Bug Fixes (siliconangle.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

Facebook is trying to speed up the time it takes to roll out new software updates and debug any issues in them with a new tool called SapFix that its engineers are building. From a report: SapFix, which is still under development, is designed to generate fixes automatically for specific bugs before sending them to human engineers for approval. Facebook, which announced the tool today ahead of its Scale conference in San Jose, California, for developers building large-scale systems and applications, calls SapFix an "AI hybrid tool." It uses artificial intelligence to automate the creation of fixes for bugs that have been identified by its software testing tool Sapienz, which is already being used in production. SapFix will eventually be able to operate independently from Sapienz, but for now it's still a proof-of-concept that relies on the latter tool to pinpoint bugs first of all. SapFix can fix bugs in a number of ways, depending on how complex they are, Facebook engineers Yue Jia, Ke Mao and Mark Harman wrote in a blog post announcing the tools. For simpler bugs, SapFix creates patches that revert the code submission that introduced them. In the case of more complicated bugs, SapFix uses a collection of "templated fixes" that were created by human engineers based on previous bug fixes.

40 comments

  1. AI Sapienz by nospam007 · · Score: 1

    I'll wait for the version AI Sapienz Sapienz.

  2. With bugs like these. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    So it sounds like FB has such a predictable habit of creating similar bugs that even some horseshit excuse for AI can see and patch them.

    Facebook - driving AI forward by moving everything else backward.

    1. Re:With bugs like these. . . by greenwow · · Score: 3, Interesting

      > habit of creating similar bugs

      I think every software company does. We wrote our own software code review system, and if a section of code was changed more than twice in the past six months, I flag it as suspicious. That has helped us find a lot of bugs. It's like the old joke "99 little bugs in the code, take one down patch it around, 127 little bugs in the code" meme.

    2. Re:With bugs like these. . . by HornWumpus · · Score: 0

      I had a similar method.

      If any code was checked in by Li or Atul, it was automatically reverted.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    3. Re:With bugs like these. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Please open source this. We need this.

      Seriously, most of our bugs are due to bug fixes. A lot of those problems can be caught by using TDD if you write a test first that fails then passes after your change, but I've been almost fired twice for insisting we do TDD. Yes, it takes longer in the short-term, but I think it wastes less time in the long term, especially when you're testing against APIs.

    4. Re:With bugs like these. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I would love to see a code review system that marks recent (6 months?) changes as suspicious.

    5. Re:With bugs like these. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "changed more than twice in the past six months,"

      That is an awesome potential indicator of potential problems. We use Atlassian's Bitbucket that doesn't show recent changes as suspicious so you guys have a much better tool than we do.

    6. Re:With bugs like these. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depends on the size of the company, i think.

      Small team of two really good programmers? This sort of checking shouldn't add much.

      But as the team grows (hundreds or thousands or more?), you're more likely to have excellent, good, average, below average, and bad programmers in the mix.

  3. Uh huh... by mujadaddy · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Which is still under development"

    What could possibly go right?

    --
    Populus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur...
    "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
    1. Re:Uh huh... by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      IF it fixes itself it would be the AI 'singularity', but it won't.

      Still waiting on DoWhatIWant.exe.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  4. Re: End game approaches by msmash+(Ultra+Mod) · · Score: 0

    Agree but how we use Al to solve climate change? It not happening this administration, I tell you 100% Post below.

  5. "Alexa . . . please fix Facebook." by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

    "You have just ordered one contract to kill Mark Zuckerberg . . .

    " . . . would you like to join Prime, and have it done tomorrow . . . ?"

    --
    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  6. Cool. by RickyShade · · Score: 1

    Maybe the AI will fix "Most Recent" feed and have it ACTUALLY show me the most recent posts again. That is, IF the AI doesn't share Facebook's agenda.......

  7. Re:End game approaches by Pascoea · · Score: 1

    and land will be fiercely contested.

    Have you been anywhere in the middle of the country? Take a ride through North Dakota and tell me how little available land there is...

  8. Correction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    'Facebook is Attempting to Create an Algorithm to Automate Bug Fixes - They Hope It Works'. -FIFY

    It probably won't.

  9. Re: End game approaches by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Cat6 ? Does it mean we'll get 10Gbps internet ?

  10. Great, computers fixing computers. by Pascoea · · Score: 1

    Do you want a sentient computer? Cause that's how you get a sentient computer.

  11. Re:End game approaches by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

    Boy who cried wolf is a cautionary tale, not a how to manual.

    --
    Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
  12. AI recommends deletion of javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Proceed [Yes][No]?

    1. Re:AI recommends deletion of javascript by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, Yes I'm sure.

  13. WTH SapFix?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is SapFix referring to? The need to repair damage to maple trees after a sugar bush tapper goes mad? Perhaps it refers to the need to repair an internal Facebook SAP system? Or maybe it's how so many FB users are saps, and this tool is needed to somehow 'fix' them?

    1. Re: WTH SapFix?? by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Their software testing tool is called "sapienz". Presumably SapFix fixes problems that sapienz finds.

    2. Re: WTH SapFix?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lint is that you?

    3. Re: WTH SapFix?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      c6gunner = busted impersonating apk by altered /. users words https://linux.slashdot.org/com... cuz APK challenged you to show you do better work and you can't after you tried to mock him you loser https://linux.slashdot.org/com... . You're online trash c6gunner.

    4. Re: WTH SapFix?? by EETech1 · · Score: 2

      Is it ok to still say homo sapiens?

    5. Re: WTH SapFix?? by c6gunner · · Score: 1

      Only if you're a homohomo sapienz yourself.

    6. Re: WTH SapFix?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up retard APK. We get it you lost and can't stand that people mock you. Just stop pretending that someone supports you, it only makes you look like an even bigger fucking retarded loser. Why not go outside and yell at some clouds?

    7. Re: WTH SapFix?? by EETech1 · · Score: 1

      So... I'm a Hetero Saipan now?

      Their Revolution is my evolution?

  14. Automatic rollback by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This, to me doesn't sound like much more than Automatic roll-back of patches ...

    The rest is not an easy problem to solve ... and possibly could ADD way more bugs than any (in)competent HUMAN programmer.

  15. Now that's a badly chosen name. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Sapfix" sounds like a fix you get from drinking the sap of an euphorigenic plant.

  16. (Name Corp) Automates (Name Anything) by oldgraybeard · · Score: 0

    Just what I want the choice taken out of my hands by a corporation. Seems to me when this happens we get things like the un requested Upgrade to Windows 10 and such.
    Nope not for me I turn most all automated stuff off and handle things myself.

    Just my 2 cents ;)

  17. Skip article by manu0601 · · Score: 1

    Save your time and skip article, which contains no more information that the headline. They automate bug fix, but you will know how.

  18. Too complex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like Facebook's codebase is too complicated for the mediocre staff on hand. Best to burn it down, execute everyone, and salt the earth where headquarters is located.

  19. Wow, decades late! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I did this back at Citrix in the 90s.

  20. This will makes work easier by Davidsmith111 · · Score: 0

    This tool will makes work easier and faster, i think it's about time, also check our articles on 8 Nutrients That Support And Help In Weight Loss

  21. Bug fixing AI... by JoeDuncan · · Score: 1

    ...will never exceed the bug *creation* rate of humans!

    Humans: 1

    AI: 0

  22. Re:End game approaches by JoeDuncan · · Score: 1

    Take a ride through North Dakota and tell me how little available land there is...

    Oh yeah, and when New York sinks into the ocean - those North Dakotans are *totally* going to WELCOME all the refugees from the city, and just hand out land to them like candy, eh?

  23. Will it find bugs in itself and fix them? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like a great idea for self repairing combat robots, eh?

  24. c6gunner you're a FAKENAME scumbag liar by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    6gunner your FAKEname's on a post impersonating me & worse was you altering /. user's words https://linux.slashdot.org/com... since I challenged you to show you do better work and you can't after you tried to mock me you hypocrite LYING loser https://linux.slashdot.org/com... .

    * You're online FAKENAME trash c6gunner & a childish dishonest punk.

    APK

    P.S.=> Impossible to deny FACT of your FAKEname (for your FAKE wasted lie of a so-called life) on that 1st post link above you unbelievable pussy loser... apk