How are tech pros actually using generative AI? That’s a huge question as companies everywhere attempt to figure out their AI strategy. And as a new study suggests, no one use dominates; tech teams everywhere are still very much in an exploratory stage when it comes to this technology.
Retool.com recently surveyed 750 tech professionals (“including developers, data teams, leadership, and others across technical roles and industries”) as part of its State of AI Report. As you can see from the chart below, tech pros are relying on AI most often for writing code, followed by querying their knowledge base and utilizing support chatbots:
These percentages are also in flux, according to the accompanying report: “Writing code or queries dropped 5.4 points from 47.5 percent to 42.1 percent [between late 2023 and now] as did copywriting, from 32.9 percent to 28 percent… Support chatbots jumped up 5 points, from 28.9 percent to 33.9 percent.” Meanwhile, automating workflows also leapt 5 percentage points.
“It’s clear that on an individual level, AI has a meaningful impact on the way people work, whether that’s IC developers, product teams, or senior leadership,” the report continued. “It’s also clear that businesses are still figuring out how to make the most impactful use of the evolving tech. But there are signs pointing toward maturation and refinement in what developers are building and focusing on, and how folks across the board are thinking about the role of AI in production.”
Many companies are just starting on a robust AI roadmap. But as we discussed on the most recent episode of Dice’s “Tech Connects” with guest Laura Baldwin, president of O’Reilly Media, it can be critical to spend time planning out your AI strategy and needs before any kind of commitment. It may also be easier to upskill your existing employees on AI tools rather than trying to hire new (and expensive) AI-centric workers.
