Engineers Say, “AI Isn’t the Enemy”: AI and Software Engineering

AI and software engineering are at odds, right? Not according to our latest State of Remote Engineering report.

Our 2025 survey of more than 1,400 global engineers found that AI usage is up significantly from last year, from 45% in 2024 to 71% in 2025. Only 29% don’t use AI. 

With so many engineers embracing AI, how is the technology shaping the world of software development? How is it affecting hiring and recruiting? What are the global differences, and what can we expect for the future? Here’s what to know.

How AI Will Change Software Development

AI is affecting most spheres of work. Software development, the very field that created the technology, is seeing some of the most significant shifts.

The most prevalent change software engineers expect to take place due to AI is increased automation. Our survey finds that 76% expect it to automate most routine tasks, enabling them to focus on higher-level problem-solving. What does that mean for the field? Engineers can take on more complex tasks that require the human brain.

Overall, AI use cases are wide-reaching, ranging from code generation and repetitive task automation to DevOps process optimization.

But AI isn’t necessarily easy to use, and its widespread adoption will likely mean that 80% of software engineers will need to upskill, according to a Gartner report. This, however, may also present new opportunities, which we will examine more closely below.

Our results align with findings about how workers across different industries are using AI. According to a Gallup poll, among the employees who leverage AI, the most prevalent use cases include task automation (39%), information/data consolidation (39%), and idea generation (41%). 

Another study, AI in software programming: understanding emotional responses to GitHub Copilot, notes that the “dynamic interaction between human and AI is key.” This study examines the “rise of the hybrid worker” or “a person working in tandem with AI.” This is certainly true in the case of the software engineer, who can find an ally in AI, collaborating with technology to achieve greater innovation.

New Roles Thanks to AI 

AI isn’t just opening doors in terms of the way we work. It’s actually creating new roles.

The World Economic Forum’s 2025 Future of Jobs report predicts that artificial intelligence will lead to the creation of roughly 11 million new jobs by 2030.

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Many of those roles will be in or related to software development. There are the obvious ones, like a dedicated AI/machine learning engineer. But there is also the potential for new and innovative careers, such as an AI auditor, translator, integrator, and trainer.

Of course, along with these new roles comes the fear that AI could replace employees or make their careers obsolete. We will take a closer look at how engineers perceive artificial intelligence in hiring and recruitment next.

AI and Hiring and Recruitment

Naturally, there is plenty of apprehension about AI in the hiring and recruitment space. A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that the majority of Americans (71%) across industries are concerned that AI could be “putting too many people out of work permanently.” 

However, these fears are less pervasive among software professionals, according to our survey. We found that most software engineers haven’t seen slowed hiring or personnel reductions due to artificial intelligence just yet. 

At the same time, while some engineers (43%) expect AI to increase hiring, roughly an equal number (41%) fear it will decrease hiring. But the majority—59%—say they haven’t seen that happening.

Geographic Differences

Our survey found that among the regions we looked at, AI usage is most pronounced in Europe at 83%, followed by Latin America at 74%. Interestingly, engineers in Latin America and the US are the most optimistic about how AI will impact hiring.

Forty-nine percent of Latin American engineers expect AI to increase hiring, and just 35% expect it to decrease hiring. Similarly, 45% of US engineers expect AI to increase hiring, while 36% expect it to decrease hiring.

Now, let’s put that into a larger context.

A Harvard Business Review study describes a Top Ranked AI Nations (TRAIN) index that evaluates the leading AI creator countries. This index is meant to portray how AI “power centers” are driving AI applications globally. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the US leads the pack, followed by China. The UK, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and Sweden round out the top 10.

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Innovation goes hand in hand with AI leadership, of course. Many Latin American countries appear on this list of 25 nations, demonstrating that they are standing out globally when it comes to artificial intelligence, along with the US, Canada, and Europe.

Innovation with AI: The Human Touch

AI and software engineering are by no means at odds—software engineering is responsible for the incredible trajectory of artificial intelligence. Innovation requires far more than simple code generation; it demands human creativity. However, there is no doubt that AI is changing the field. 

As the technology becomes more sophisticated, engineers will need to adapt and learn new skills to leverage it responsibly and ensure longevity in their careers. There is also the potential for greater experimentation and upskilling, which will prove essential as AI permeates the globe.

While there are certainly challenges with artificial intelligence adoption in the world of software engineering, there are also extraordinary opportunities, ones that can push software engineers beyond their comfort zones and equip them to thrive in a world where AI is a new normal.