The latest 2024 Developer Survey Report from Stack Overflow, based on feedback from over 65,000 global developers, finds that generative Artificial Intelligence is becoming deeply embedded in software development workflows while confidence in the technology is slipping. The report highlights that the proportion of developers using Artificial Intelligence tools has increased to 76% in 2024, while the favorability towards Artificial Intelligence has dropped from 77% last year to 72%. Stack Overflow frames this shift as a sign that developers are quickly adopting these tools but are growing more critical of their limitations and risks.
Despite this cooling sentiment, the survey indicates that most developers do not view generative Artificial Intelligence as a threat to their employment. The survey shows that most developers are not concerned about generative Artificial Intelligence replacing their jobs and that 70% of professional developers believe Artificial Intelligence is not a threat. Stack Overflow chief product officer Ryan Polk argues that generative Artificial Intelligence could actually expand the talent pipeline, suggesting it could inspire more people to enter programming and even potentially increase the number of developers tenfold. He says Artificial Intelligence coding assistants are particularly helpful for handling repetitive boilerplate tasks so that developers can focus on more complex problems.
At the same time, trust in the reliability of these tools is notably low. Only 43% of respondents expressed trust in the accuracy of Artificial Intelligence tools, and developers cite the spread of misinformation, unclear attribution of sources, and biases stemming from limited perspectives as major concerns. In the survey, 79% of developers identified misinformation as the main ethical issue related to Artificial Intelligence, and Polk underscores the importance of high quality training data with the reminder that “garbage in, garbage out,” so the authenticity of data is crucial. To bolster confidence, Stack Overflow is collaborating with multiple Artificial Intelligence suppliers on responsible data sharing initiatives that aim to provide verified, trustworthy data to support the healthy development of Artificial Intelligence technology.
