How many tech professionals are using AI as part of their respective workflows? And do they trust what those tools produce?
Those are two burning questions answered by the latest Stack Overflow Developer Survey, which queried more than 65,000 software developers about their education, salary, opinions on AI, and much more. First, it seems as if a majority of software developers, engineers, and other tech professionals are using AI tools in the development process:
But do tech professionals actually trust the output from those AI tools? That’s a more nuanced question. Although roughly 43 percent feel like AI is a trusted partner in the development process, another 31 percent seem skeptical to some degree:
Ever since generative AI became capable of generating code and performing other tech-centric tasks, tech professionals interested in using these tools have been given one core piece of advice: always double-check your outputs. While generative AI’s abilities have grown impressive, it lacks context; for example, it can’t really “see” the nuances and challenges of an overall software project.
But as a way to automate repetitive coding tasks or produce a “first draft” of code that an experienced tech professional can later refine, generative AI has its potential uses. In theory, AI tools can free up bandwidth for tech pros to engage in more creative pursuits, such as ideating new features; but that all depends on marrying the technology to your workflow in a way that works. At the same time, take care to ensure that AI integration doesn’t accidentally burn you out.
