Just over half (53%) of developers think that large language models can already code better than most people, new research from Clutch reveals, though AI is still controversial across the developer community.

Clutch surveyed 800 senior developers and engineering managers, 75% of which said they expect AI to significantly reshape software development in the next five years. How transformation will look, however, remains in question.

The survey found that AI is already a part of developer’s day-to-day, as 78% use AI several times a week or even more, especially in coding, testing, and reviewing stages. 49% of senior developers and team leads told Clutch that they use AI tools every day.

As AI is used more generally, sentiments regarding its use are more commonly positive. 42% of respondents had a positive feeling about AI, as opposed to the 10% who felt concerned, and the 8% who were sceptical about its use.

Still, despite this positivity, most respondents had concerns regarding AI’s proliferation. Topping the list of concerns was data privacy (24%), as many feared if AI was appropriate to use when handling sensitive data.

Following this was job displacement (14%), inaccuracy (14%), and a loss of creativity (13%). Only 8% of those surveyed showed no concerns over AI.

Job displacement appears to be a valid concern, as AI skills are quickly becoming a requirement. Around three quarters of developers say that being proficient with AI tools can impact recruitment. Nearly half of respondents said that AI could threaten the entire software development field.

When it comes to entering the field, feelings around AI’s potential impact were mixed. 45% of respondents believe that AI may lower the barrier for entry for junior developers as they may learn faster and have better access to vital tools. However, 37% said that AI would be a barrier to entry, as newcomers could more readily be out-performed or even replaced by AI.

This climbs up the ladder as well – while some more senior leaders think AI may level the playing field, others are concerned it could gate-keep the status quo and remove existing stepping stones in work progression.

Recommended reading

• AI Saves Developers 10+ Hours A Week – But Inefficiencies Cost Them The Same
• Organisations Are Failing on DevOps Experience and Maturity
• Developer Disconnect Could Waste Billions on Cloud Infrastructure

AI is changing how recruitment works as well. About eight in ten (79%) of respondents said that AI skills will soon be essential for developers, with 76% saying they would be likely to hire someone if they had AI expertise.

Despite this, 80% of developers see AI as an enabler, rather than a threat.

Still, seeing as AI has gone through major transformations in just the last three years, achieving AI expertise is an evolving game with ever-changing goal posts.

Over half (59%) of developers admitted that they have relied on AI-generated code without fully understanding it, leaving a potentially disastrous gap.