More than half of developers are anxious about their long-term careers as AI rewrites the job

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, November 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- More than half (54%) of software developers are anxious about their long-term careers as AI changes the skills they need and the work they do, according to new research from specialist business and technology consultancy Adaptavist.

The research, published today in the New Developer Realities whitepaper, surveyed 1,000 developers across the UK, US, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands. It found that the impact of AI differs by career stage, and that it is fundamentally changing both the developer role and how developers feel about software engineering as a career.

As a result of AI becoming more embedded in the software development lifecycle, the attitude to developer careers is shifting. 46% believe that software development is becoming a less attractive career due to AI, and almost a third (31%) say AI is already negatively affecting their career progression.

The reasons for this include fewer hands-on learning opportunities, a squeeze on mid-career developers, a shift from writing code to managing AI agents, and an ongoing ‘verification tax ’- with AI changing job functions so that there is more reviewing and verifying than before.

*AI is changing how developers learn*

Seven in 10 developers (70%) worry that junior developers are becoming overly reliant on automation, raising concerns about how the next generation will develop the foundational skills needed to progress in the field.

The concern extends beyond junior roles, with developers at every level reporting that AI is changing how they build and maintain their skills:

- 63% say AI has reduced the amount they learn through hands-on coding
- 44% believe AI is making core software engineering skills less important
- 43% feel they have fewer learning opportunities because of AI, rising to 45% among experienced developers

*The mid-career squeeze*

The impact of AI on career progression varies by experience level, with mid-career developers most likely to report negative effects from AI.

For example, over a third (35%) of mid-career developers believe AI is negatively affecting their career progression, compared with 26% of early-career and 27% of experienced developers.

What’s more, 44% of mid-career developers say they would get rid of AI in the workplace if given the choice, compared with 31% of early-career developers and 40% of experienced developers.

*The rise of the agentic manager*

As well as changing how developers learn, test and write code, AI is changing what their jobs involve. More than half (51%) say they are managing AI rather than simply using it, and 64% view AI as a teammate. At the same time, 47% say AI is actively replacing parts of their role.

When asked about how extensive agentic AI use has become, developers responded as such:

- 68% say managing AI agents is becoming an explicit part of their daily role
- 82% regularly deploy multiple AI agents for a given task, while 16% use a single agent
- 70% believe managing AI agents will become a core software engineering skill
- 66% trust AI agents to complete tasks autonomously, while 60% trust them to make important technical decisions

Developers are also adjusting their oversight of AI-generated work following high-profile incidents involving AI systems and agents, such as the Hugging Face cyber incident. 39% say they now review AI-generated work more closely, 29% say it requires tighter human oversight, 21% are less willing to give AI agents autonomy and 20% are more cautious about adopting new agents.

Matt Saunders, DevOps Lead at The Adaptavist Group, comments: “AI is changing what it means to be a software developer, but organisations cannot afford to lose sight of how engineers develop their skillsets. Developers may be relying on automation for more of their work, but they still need hands-on experience to understand the code, solve problems and make sound technical decisions.

“That means giving junior developers the opportunity to build strong foundations, while supporting more experienced engineers as their roles evolve to include managing and overseeing AI agents. Organisations need to help developers grow alongside the technology, ensuring they have the skillset and support to use AI effectively throughout their careers.”

ENDS

Methodology: Research surveyed 1,000 developers from the UK, US, Netherlands, Spain, and Germany in March 2026. The research was conducted by Attest.

About Adaptavist and The Adaptavist Group

At Adaptavist, we help organisations remove friction, unlock value, and achieve long-term, exponential growth.

Founded in 2005, we’re a specialist business and technology consultancy and a trusted partner to Atlassian, monday.com, AWS, GitLab and many more. Our expert consultancy and practical delivery connects technology, people, and ways of working with powerful tailored solutions that simplify complexity and achieve sustained business outcomes.

Experts in cloud, DevOps, service management, work management, AI, and agile, we are the pioneer brand of The Adaptavist Group, a family of companies whose team spans over 1,000 employees, with a 22,000+ customer base representing more than half the Fortune 500. We combine the best talent, technology, and processes to make it easier for our customers to excel–today and tomorrow.

Sam Milligan
The Adaptavist Group
+44 20 7846 7860