AI Tools Usage

There has been much speculation about the death of the (junior) developer in recent months. But is AI really making an impact in the way developers work, or is it all hype?

Stack Overflow's 2024 Developer Survey provides some insight into where we are today.

AI tools in the development process

Do you currently use AI tools in your development process?

This year, 76% of respondents are using or planning to use AI tools in their development process, up from 70% last year. The number of developers currently using AI tools has also seen a significant increase, rising to 62% from 44%.

But do developer think the tools are useful?

AI tool sentiment

How favorable is your stance on using AI tools as part of your development workflow?

72% of respondents have a favorable or very favorable view of AI tools for development, though this is a slight drop from last year’s 77%. This decline might be attributed to some users experiencing less-than-expected results from these tools.

There have been reports that the quality of code related prompt responses for OpenAI have gotten worse over time. Quite the opposite the opposite of what one would expect.

Atlassian also published the results of a recent developer experience survey. It's interesting to see the discrepancy. In Atlassian's survey, more than 60% stated that they only saw a slight or no improvement in productivity through AI tools.

Benefits of AI tools

For the AI tools you use as part of your development workflow, what are the MOST important benefits you are hoping to achieve? Please check all that apply.

81% of respondents agree that the biggest benefit of AI tools is increasing productivity. Speeding up the learning process is seen as a greater advantage for developers who are learning to code (71%) compared to professional developers (61%).

Accuracy of AI tools

Question: How much do you trust the accuracy of the output from AI tools as part of your development workflow?

Similar to last year, developers remain divided on their trust in AI output: 43% feel confident in its accuracy, while 31% are skeptical. Interestingly, developers who are learning to code tend to trust AI accuracy more than professional developers, with 49% versus 42%, respectively.

AI in the development workflow

Which parts of your development workflow are you currently using AI tools for and which are you interested in using AI tools for over the next year? Please select all that apply.

Developers currently using AI tools primarily use them for writing code (82%). On the other hand, those who are interested but haven’t yet adopted AI tools are mostly curious about using them for testing code (46%). Experienced developers might trust AI tools for initial coding tasks but recognize that testing is a complex step better suited to traditional processes.

AI tools next year

Thinking about how your job and process changes over time, how integrated in your workflow do you anticipate AI tools you are currently using will be 1 year from now?

Most developers believe that AI tools will be more integrated mostly in the ways they are documenting code (81%), testing code (80%), and writing code (76%).

Are AI tools a threat to your job

Do you believe AI is a threat to your current job?

70% of professional developers do not consider AI as a threat to their job.

Challenges with AI at work

What are the challenges to your company/whole team using AI code assistants or GenAI tools? Select all that apply.

Professional developers agree that the main issue with AI tools isn’t user error. Instead, twice as many professionals cite a lack of trust or understanding of the codebase as the top challenge, compared to those who point to proper training.

Conclusion

AI tools are becoming more common in development, but they aren’t likely to replace junior developer jobs anytime soon. While these tools help with coding and boost productivity, there are still challenges with accuracy and understanding code. Most developers see AI as a helpful aid rather than a job threat.

You can find the full survey under: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024