A recent survey by GitHub and Wakefield Research reveals the rising influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on developers. The study, involving 500 developers from large US firms, focused on productivity, collaboration, and AI’s role in enterprise settings.
An impressive 92% of developers already use AI-powered coding tools. However, despite DevOps investments, challenges persist. Waiting for builds and tests and writing repetitive code remain time-consuming tasks. Developers desire more collaboration, skill acquisition, and innovation time.
Efficiency improvement in the development process is vital, GitHub notes. Inbal Shani, GitHub’s Chief Product Officer, highlights developers spending most of their time on code, tests, and awaiting reviews and builds. AI-powered coding tools enhance individual productivity and team collaboration, empowering developers to make a more significant impact and find satisfaction.
Collaboration is crucial
Enterprise developers typically work with 21 engineers. This makes collaboration a key factor in performance evaluations. Over 80% believe AI-powered tools improve collaboration, code quality, project completion, and incident resolution.
Shani urges organizations to prioritize developers, fostering customer empowerment through collaboration. Developers highly value upskilling and impact. Learning new skills, user feedback, and solving novel problems positively impact their work.
Whereas 92% of developers reported AI tool usage, 70% recognized their advantage. AI enables solution design and skill development and improves the developer experience. GitHub’s Shani expects the 92% figure to rise further, citing GitHub Copilot’s positive impact, boosting fulfilment by 75% and speeding up code writing by over 55%.
AI has significant potential
AI tools provide upskilling and productivity gains. Code quality and collaboration should be primary metrics, contrary to the focus on quantity and output. GitHub recommends establishing governance standards for secure and effective AI tool usage aligned with efficacy and data privacy.
To improve the developer experience, GitHub advises cultural changes, facilitating collaboration through regular check-ins, scheduled meetings, and asynchronous communication platforms. Standardizing developer environments with cloud-based IDEs streamlines collaboration.
Investing in mentor-mentee relationships and supporting growth benefits development teams. The survey demonstrates developers’ increasing reliance on AI tools and their potential to enhance productivity, collaboration, and skill development.
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