About two thirds (65%) of senior developers across the globe believe their role will be redefined by AI in 2026, according to research from BairesDev.

The firm’s Dev Barometer gathered insights from 501 developers, most with over eight years of experience, and project managers working across 92 software development initiatives at Fortune 500 and small and medium enterprises.

Of the two thirds that think AI will redefine their role, about three in four (74%) expect to shift from coding to designing technical solutions, with 61% expecting to integrate AI-generated code into their workflows.

Half (50%) anticipate a greater focus on strategy and architecture.

Overall, 58% believe automation will reduce entry-level tasks, leading to smaller, leaner teams in 2026.

Three quarters (74%) say AI has strengthened their technical skills, 50% say it has improved their work-life balance in 2025, and 37% say it has expanded their career opportunities.

“At the start of the year, many asked how AI would change developers’ roles. It’s clear now: developers are the first professionals to reinvent their jobs in real time,” said Nacho De Marco, CEO and Co-Founder of BairesDev.

“They’re using AI to boost productivity, learn faster, and drive innovation. What’s happening in software today will soon happen across every knowledge industry: people will think bigger, break old limits, and redefine what productivity means.”

Senior developers are increasingly operating in AI-integrated environments: six in ten say AI accelerated project delivery, shortening time-to-market, and saving almost one working day per week.

While enthusiasm is high, developers are also realistic about its current capabilities.

Over half (56%) said AI-generated code is currently “somewhat reliable,” requiring continued validating to ensure quality, accuracy, and security. Only 9% trust it enough to implement as is.

Overall, developers still spend most of their time on writing code and building features (48%), debugging and fixing bugs (42%), and planning and documentation (35%). Just under one-fifth (19%) said they focus primarily on creative problem-solving and innovation, a figure expected to grow as AI continues to automate routine coding tasks.

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What Will 2026 Look Like?

As software teams become smaller and leaner in 2026, there is a shift toward more specialised structures, AI-integrated workflows, and human oversight in design and delivery.

Over half (51%) of developers warn that those without AI skills risk falling behind. Project managers identified AI/ML specialists (42%) as the biggest upcoming talent gap, followed by prompt engineers and data engineers.

Developers expect AI/ML (67%), data analytics (46%), and cybersecurity (45%) to be the fastest-growing areas in 2026.

About three in five (63%) project managers said developers will require more training in AI, cloud, and cybersecurity.

BairesDev’s Q3 2025 research showed that AI had already become standard practice: 92% of developers were using AI-assisted coding, saving an average of 7.3 hours per week.

The newest research from the final quarter of 2025 points to an industry defined by AI integration: senior developers foresee their core work evolving into a strategic role.

Teams get leaner and more specialised, and upskilling in AI, data, and security becomes mandatory. In short, the role changes, the team structure follows, and human oversight remains central, turning individual AI gains into a repeatable way to build software in 2026.

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