It seems every tech giant is touting AI as the future of software development. But some of them argue that AI will reduce the need for human developers, with Salesforce announcing a hiring freeze of software engineers in 2025.
This is an important topic, given the recent findings of a WEF report which revealed that 41% of companies anticipate workforce reductions due to AI in the next five years.
But I think many businesses are missing the bigger picture. While it is possible that AI can improve the effectiveness of software engineers, it does not eliminate their function.
AI may be transforming software development but it won’t replace the need for skilled engineers. Instead, it’s more likely to shift the demand, redefine job roles and create opportunities for training.
AI will not replace strategic work
DevSecOps is the framework that combines different developer specialities into single teams. Many DevSecOps teams aim to achieve a short time-to-deployment for software that solves business challenges and increases revenue. However, too many organisations concentrate on developer productivity without considering developer experience.
This means they have skilled developers performing under deadline pressures who are nonetheless still focused on time-consuming and mundane tasks. While those tasks are necessary, limiting an engineer’s productivity measurement to that kind of toil can be demotivating. AI can eliminate friction from the software-delivery process by taking over the less exciting work. This can speed up deployment cycles, improve code security and quality and boost developer morale.
AI may transform software development but it won’t replace the need for engineers
For example, AI can suggest or autocomplete code, perform various tests or automatically document code functionality in a standard format, all of which would otherwise consume much of a developer’s day. Much of AI’s value today is similar to the value of “pair programming”, when two programmers work together and share one screen, touted decades ago. Essentially, pair programming promotes an improved developer experience to realise better outcomes. Most companies couldn’t afford to put it into action, but with AI they can.
Our GitLab Global DevSecOps report reveals that AI and machine learning are becoming well established in software development workflows. Less than a quarter of global respondents spend their time writing new code, with the rest of their day spent on repetitive tasks, improving existing code, testing and addressing security flaws. That’s over three-quarters of a developers’ day-to-day tasks where AI can introduce efficiencies.
It’s true that AI might slow the growth of demand for software engineers, but it doesn’t eliminate roles on your software development team. When AI bears the load, humans can focus on their greatest strengths: critical thinking and creativity.
Engineers enjoy tackling challenging projects that test their problem-solving capabilities. Why not let them concentrate on these? For your business, this means getting more out of your teams.
Why it’s time to upskill with AI
When businesses are intentional about their AI deployments, they can create upskilling opportunities for developers seeking career growth. This allows them to spend time developing new skills so they can can act as a coach to others.
AI can provide valuable lessons on optimising code, understanding how its structure can be improved and identifying and remediating vulnerabilities before code is deployed. Developers might use AI to familiarise themselves with unfamiliar code bases, languages and frameworks.
A report from McKinsey found that developers using generative-AI-based tools in their work are happier than their counterparts who don’t have access to the tech. Developers attributed this to the tools’ ability to automate grunt work that kept them from more satisfying tasks. They also found the tools could give them information faster than a search for answers across different online platforms.
These are the developers that businesses are looking to hire. And that’s the kind of developer experience that every engineering leader should strive to deliver.
From this perspective, AI seems to be a key ingredient in a DevSecOps solution, critical to an engineering leader’s roadmap for success – and a powerful way for organisations to attract, engage and retain the best tech talent.
Implementing AI requires careful planning. You must look at your current business dynamics and the complexity of your workflows to determine where AI can most efficiently improve your software development processes. If you get it right, AI won’t replace your team – it will supercharge them.
How to plan for AI success
I ask my leaders to share how they use AI features to do their jobs before asking the teams to change how they work. This approach benefits teams in more ways than one.
It requires the executive team to engage with the features and witness first-hand the challenging parts of incorporating AI into their work. This results in an appreciation for the challenges that come with change and a shared commitment to ensuring that AI adoption evolves the way we work.
It is one thing to ask your teams to improve their productivity with AI, but it’s another to be intentional about it. Consider creating a working group to identify best practices and workflows that will enhance how work gets done.
Teams can publish their learnings with before-and-after comparison data to provide insights into how to measure the efficacy of AI technology.
When team members share resources and lessons learned, the psychological safety of embracing AI across the organisation can improve.
This willingness to acknowledge the journey then empowers peers to support each other and solve problems while providing opportunities to reward teamwork.
It seems every tech giant is touting AI as the future of software development. But some of them argue that AI will reduce the need for human developers, with Salesforce announcing a hiring freeze of software engineers in 2025.
This is an important topic, given the recent findings of a WEF report which revealed that 41% of companies anticipate workforce reductions due to AI in the next five years.
But I think many businesses are missing the bigger picture. While it is possible that AI can improve the effectiveness of software engineers, it does not eliminate their function.
