AI system turns sketches into code

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

Instead of typing furiously and constantly hitting backspace, what if you could code by just drawing out your ideas?

This vision is becoming a reality thanks to  (MMath ’24), a recent master’s graduate of the Cheriton School of Computer Science, and Professors Jian Zhao and Daniel Vogel. While at À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ, Yen co-developed Code Shaping, an AI-powered software that allows programmers to edit their code through free-form sketches. ­

Code Shaping typically takes place on a tablet. Instead of typing, a user can use their stylus to annotate on top and around their code. When they press the generate button, an AI model will interpret and convert their sketches into code.

Read the from À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ News to learn more.Â