Developers who use AI tools are more productive, but are they happier?

According to the 2024 DORA Report, 76% of developers now incorporate generative AI into their daily workflows, while 89% of organizations are making its adoption a priority. Developers use GenAI tools mostly for faster code generation, creating better documentation, and summarizing information.

Such widespread adoption of Gen AI tools among software developers warranted another DORA report dedicated solely to the Impact of Generative AI in Software Development. The DORA research team conducted a large-scale survey of over 36,000 software professionals, analyzing how they use GenAI tools and the impact on their teams, organizations, productivity, satisfaction, and well-being.

The story about the benefit of adopting AI for individuals is largely favorable, but like any good story, has some wrinkles.

DORA Impact of Generative AI Report

The most obvious benefit is the increase in productivity: when an individual’s AI adoption increases by 25%, it increases productivity by approximately 2.1%.

Here comes the wrinkles part: researchers expected that automating manual, repetitive, toilsome tasks would result in more valuable work, in line with the value proposition for adopting AI.

Research data, however, suggested that increased AI adoption may have the opposite effect –
reducing reported time spent doing valuable work, while time spent on toilsome work appears to be unaffected.

Researchers also found that an increase in AI adoption negatively impacts delivery stability, which may be due to the larger batch size of AI-assisted code, which makes it harder to code review.

More Flow State, But…

Researchers were particularly interested in investigating whether developers’ well-being is affected by the rapid adoption and use of gen AI. They found that developers who use gen AI more report:

• More time in a flow state,
• Higher overall job satisfaction,
• Increased productivity
• Less burnout.

Surprisingly, developers who use Gen AI more extensively report no difference in time spent on toilsome work and less time spent on valuable work.

As researchers, we found it paradoxical that developers spending less time on work they find valuable would also report more time in flow, more satisfaction, more productivity, and less burnout.

Five Strategies to Maximize Generative AI’s Value for Developers

Given these paradoxical findings, researchers came up with five strategies for organizations to ensure AI amplifies developers’s value

Allow the Use of Generative AI Across the Development and Delivery Process

Developers who prioritized the utilitarian value of their work—emphasizing their individual impact on the world— perceived gen AI as a clear value booster. Allowing the use of gen AI in as many development tasks as possible may increase the perceived utilitarian value of development work by enabling them to do more work faster.

Recognize the Effort Involved in Using Generative AI

Developers who prioritized the reputational value of their work— emphasizing the benefits of being
recognized for having completed work—perceived gen AI as a potential competitor who would take credit for the work partially performed by them. That is easily solved by recognizing that working with AI tools still requires labor on the part of the developer.

Present Generative AI as a Learning Opportunity

Some developers worry that AI might devalue their expertise by making certain skills less relevant. Generative AI introduces new skills, such as prompt engineering, that will become increasingly valuable. Positioning AI as a tool for skill development across the software lifecycle can help developers adapt and remain engaged with evolving industry standards.

Reward Work Outcomes, Not Just Time Spent

Developers who prioritized the economic value of their work—emphasizing the pay associated with their labor—had mixed feelings that, by doing it in a fraction of the time, AI would make their work less, potentially making their work less valuable. some developers expressed concerns about whether
increases in individual productivity would cause reductions in workforce or paid hours.

Allow Developers to Opt-Out of AI for Tasks They Enjoy

For developers who derive personal satisfaction from coding, generative AI can feel like a disruption rather than an enhancement. Since AI adoption is not mandatory, companies should support developers who prefer to complete certain tasks manually.

Shift Miami: Where AI Meets Developers

Interested in how AI will shape the future of software developers? Join us at Shift Conference in Miami and learn first-hand from speakers like Stefania Druga (AI Research Scientist, Google Deep Mind), Robert Brennan (CEO, All Hands AI), Eno Reyes (Founder and CTO, Factory), Louis Knight-Webb (Co-founder and CEO, bloop) and many more tech experts taking the stage.