Adoption of AI-powered software development has created a monumental shift in the way businesses are driving innovation today. In a short space of time, progressive enterprises around the world have come to realize that not only is AI here to stay, but it has the power to completely transform their development processes for the better.
In fact, recent research shows that AI pair programming tools are already helping developers code up to 55% faster. The advantages don’t end there either. Almost three-quarters (74%) of developers from the same study reported that they felt less frustrated when coding with the assistance of AI tools and were able to focus on more satisfying work as a result. This empowers them to reduce the toil and increase productivity – so much so that it is estimated the productivity advantages AI developer tools deliver could boost global GDP by over $1.5 trillion by 2030.
While it is now an established fact that effective integration of AI can quickly lead to faster development cycles and keep developers in the flow, it is worth remembering that integrating new tools or procedures into a business environment often requires change management. Despite the speed at which AI is progressing and its transformative impact on enterprises, the reality is that change management and a focus on adoption are needed to truly realize the benefits.
Uptake of AI coding tools might be virtually ubiquitous within the developer community – a recent survey found that 92% of developers are now using them both in and outside of work – but the reality is there is still more work to do to ensure enterprises are positioned to capitalize on the innovation advantages AI-powered software can deliver.
The bottom line is that while enterprises may be increasingly accepting of the growing need to integrate AI tools into their development process, they still face hurdles in designing the optimal conditions for developers to thrive in the AI era.
Initially, these hurdles centered around a lack of technological understanding and awareness of the right tools for each situation. However, we’re in a new phase of understanding and widespread acceptance over the role AI can play in fast-tracking the development process and accelerating innovation. Awareness is no longer the issue.
Instead, a new challenge has come to the fore: whether businesses are sufficiently prepared to properly integrate AI coding tools and manage such a monumental change to their software development process and associated developer experience.
Senior Manager for Developer Advocacy at GitHub.
AI is accelerating development processes, not replacing them
Such is the transformative potential of AI, any enterprise leader would be forgiven for assuming AI-powered software development will effectively replace their existing software development processes, However, this is not the reality. Instead, AI coding tools accelerate existing systems, rather than replacing them. AI tools understand the context of the project being worked on, which means they can assist in identifying mistakes, generate relevant code snippets, support in writing tests, and even provide documentation, all of which saves significant amounts of development time. The focus for enterprise integration must instead turn to implementation and adoption methods that enable development teams to capitalize on the benefits as quickly as possible with minimal disruption along the way.
However, it is also far too reductive to assume that embracing AI coding is simply a case of tooling. Buying access to the latest technology and delivering it to teams will not foster a positive culture of AI-powered software development. Tools alone cannot create a progressive culture around their effective use and understanding of the impact they can have.
That’s partly because when enterprises invest in AI coding tools they are not just buying productivity, they are creating an enhanced developer experience. “Productivity” is a reductive term and the impact of AI tools should never be judged on the sheer volume of code that developers can create. Equally, too often productivity is synonymous with time saving in an enterprise context. That’s not an unfair link, but it does not tell the whole story. Saving time is not the end game. Instead, enterprises should be considering what happy, fulfilled developers can do with the time they get back by integrating AI into their workflows.
Embracing AI-powered software development
By implementing AI coding tools businesses are moving beyond prioritizing productivity and actually going deeper by transforming developer happiness. It’s vital the businesses understand that they will only unlock the power of AI coding if they make deployment of the tools part of a wider strategy to prioritize supporting developers to focus on what matters. Freeing them to spend less of their day on repetitive tasks and more on problem solving and addressing challenges in their totality can only fast-track innovation – and, in turn, make developers more satisfied.
Enhancing developer happiness can also help enterprises attract and retain top talent. Access to the latest and greatest tools has a tangible impact on how developers feel about their work. For example, research indicates that 70% of developers believe that using AI coding tools will offer them an advantage in their work, with upskilling being the top benefit, followed by productivity gains. In my experience developers typically have a thirst for knowledge and training, which is supported by the findings that developers rank learning new skills (43%) and getting feedback from end users (39%) as the two main factors that have a positive impact on their working day. Delivering them the best possible tools to grow and learn can contribute towards boosting talent acquisition and retention.
Embracing AI-powered software development is a cultural shift more than it is a technology shift. But affecting that change and creating an organization environment in which AI-powered software development can thrive does not have to be over complicated. Just like any new technology, success starts with building a solid foundation that is led from the top and has buy-in from every level of the business.
Leaders need to create and embrace a long-term strategy that elevates the development process and refines it over time to deliver the desired results. A shift like AI coding requires leaders to put in place forums where teams can share best practice and learn from each other. For example, setting up internal communities or centers of excellence is a powerful way of expediting the shift, allowing teams to share success stories, or learning moments if they did not initially get the answer they expected. This enables development teams to share knowledge, such as how to tweak prompts to work with AI tooling to achieve the desired outcome.
AI is the definition of disruptive technology and organizations have to shift their mindsets beyond simply tooling up and hoping for the best. With top-down support, internal support networks across developer communities and a progressive vision for how AI will transform the way software is developed at every step, leaders and developers are much better placed to take advantage and ensure they don’t miss out on perhaps the biggest business innovation opportunity in living memory.
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