Evaluating the Code Refactoring Capabilities of StarCoder2: An Empirical Study Comparing LLM-Generated Refactorings to Developer-Driven Refactorings

Large Language Models (LLMs), specifically StarCoder2, demonstrate promising capabilities in automating code refactoring, often surpassing human developers in reducing code smells and improving certain code quality metrics, but still face challenges in replicating the contextual understanding and complex decision-making of experienced developers.