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9% trust AI code alone; 58% see entry tasks cut, 63% see paths, 59% foresee roles

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• 3 min read

Only 9 percent of developers say they’d let AI write code without a human looking over it, according to a new BairesDev survey. That wariness sits alongside a split in daily work: developers report spending roughly half their time actually writing code—48 percent—while the rest goes to debugging and related chores. The numbers suggest a paradox.

Teams are clearly leaning on automation, yet they’re hesitant to hand over full control. While the tech can speed up routine steps, the data also hint at broader shifts in how software groups will be organized. Managers are watching the balance between efficiency gains and the need for oversight.

And the ripple effects may reach beyond the keyboard.

58% say automation will reduce entry‑level tasks, while 63% expect new career paths to emerge as AI redefines team structures. 59% anticipate that AI will create entirely new specialized roles. According to BairesDev's data, developers currently divide their time between writing code (48%), debuggin

58% say automation will reduce entry-level tasks, while 63% expect new career paths to emerge as AI redefines team structures. 59% anticipate that AI will create entirely new specialized roles. According to BairesDev's data, developers currently divide their time between writing code (48%), debugging (42%), and documentation (35%).

Only 19% report focusing primarily on creative problem-solving and innovation--a share that's expected to grow as AI removes lower-level coding tasks. The report also highlights where developers see the fastest-growing areas for 2026: AI/ML (67%), data analytics (46%), and cybersecurity (45%). In parallel, 63% of project managers said developers will need more training in AI, cloud, and security.

Erolin described the next generation of developers as "T-shaped engineers"--people with broad system knowledge and deep expertise in one or more areas. "The most important developer moving forward will be the T-shaped engineer," he said. "Broad in understanding, deep in skill." AI as an Industry Standard The Q4 Dev Barometer frames AI not as an experiment but as a foundation for how teams will operate in 2026.

Developers are moving beyond using AI as a coding shortcut and instead incorporating it into architecture, validation, and design decisions.

Related Topics: #AI #automation #BairesDev #debugging #AI/ML #data analytics #cybersecurity #T-shaped engineers #project managers

Will the optimism expressed in the BairesDev Dev Barometer translate into concrete change? The survey shows only 9 percent of developers trust AI‑generated code without human oversight, a figure that tempers the enthusiasm around automation. Yet 58 percent anticipate that entry‑level tasks will shrink, and 63 percent believe AI will carve out new career paths, while 59 percent expect entirely new specialized roles to appear.

Senior developers, who currently split their day between writing code (48 percent) and debugging, appear to be gearing up for a shift in workflow. The data span 501 developers and 19 project managers across 92 software initiatives, giving the findings a broad, if still limited, perspective. Unclear whether the projected role changes will materialize uniformly, or if organizations will adjust staffing models quickly enough to meet them.

What is certain is that a sizable majority of senior engineers foresee AI reshaping team structures, even as a small minority remain wary of relying on AI code alone. The coming months should reveal how these expectations align with actual practice.

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Common Questions Answered

What percentage of developers trust AI‑generated code without human oversight according to the BairesDev survey?

Only 9 percent of developers say they would let AI write code without a human reviewing it. This low trust level highlights lingering concerns despite growing automation in development workflows.

How do developers split their daily activities between writing code, debugging, and documentation?

Developers report spending roughly half of their time writing code (48 percent), 42 percent on debugging, and 35 percent on documentation. Only 19 percent say they focus primarily on creative problem‑solving and innovation.

What proportion of developers believe AI will reduce entry‑level tasks and create new career paths?

According to the survey, 58 percent expect automation to cut entry‑level tasks, while 63 percent anticipate that AI will open up entirely new career paths. These expectations suggest optimism about AI reshaping team structures.

How many developers foresee the emergence of entirely new specialized roles due to AI?

The BairesDev data shows that 59 percent of developers anticipate AI will create completely new specialized roles. This reflects a belief that AI will not only streamline existing work but also generate novel job categories.