Report predicts that 75% of enterprise software engineers will be using AI code assistants by 2028

A new report by Gartner predicts that by 2028, 75% of enterprise software engineers will use AI code assistants, a significant increase from less than 10% in 2023. Currently, 63% of organisations are either piloting, deploying, or have already deployed AI code assistants globally, according to the report.

Philip Walsh, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner, emphasised the importance of determining ROI and building a business case as organisations scale their rollouts of AI code assistants. Traditional ROI frameworks may focus on cost reduction, but fail to capture the full value of these assistants, he added.

The report, based on a survey of 598 global respondents in the third quarter of 2023, highlights that AI code assistants offer capabilities that extend beyond code generation and completion. These collaborative assistants enhance developers’ efficiency, stimulate brainstorming, and improve code quality enhancements, thereby empowering developers to continuously upskill and build proficiency across programming frameworks.

Researchers also point out that the enablers provided by AI code assistants lead to higher job satisfaction and retention, ultimately saving expenses associated with turnover. Walsh advised software engineering leaders to connect value enablers to impacts and analyse the overall return to the organisation to convey the full enterprise value story for AI code assistants.