Part2 – Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The 2024 DORA State of DevOps Report has landed, marking a decade of valuable research into what makes software teams high-performing. It’s the gold standard for evaluating and improving software delivery, operational performance, and team culture.
This is Part 2 of my trilogy, summarizing and sharing key takeaways from the 2024 DORA Report. This segment focuses on the impact of AI on development teams and their productivity.
If you missed Part 1, you can catch up here.
AI adoption by Dev Teams
The 2024 report puts a spotlight on AI adoption and its influence on software delivery and organizational performance.
- 50% of organizations have prioritized AI adoption, with smaller firms leading the way.
- 76% of respondents reported relying on AI for one or more daily responsibilities.
At an individual level, the most common AI-assisted tasks include:
- Writing, optimizing, and documenting code.
- Writing tests, debugging, and understanding unfamiliar code.
- Summarizing information and performing data analysis.
Developer Productivity
A significant portion of organizations and developers using AI reported positive impacts:
- 75% of developers experienced productivity gains through AI assistance.
In my consulting experience, I’ve observed that smaller organizations, unencumbered by bureaucracy, tend to embrace AI extensively and gain early advantages. However, I wonder if the 25% reporting a productivity decline or no impact are facing challenges like cumbersome approval processes or lack of adequate training for effective AI use.
Quality of AI generated code
The productivity gains are promising, but what about the quality of the code?
DORA’s findings show an interesting dichotomy:
- While 75% of developers reported productivity gains, 39% still lack trust in AI-generated code.
This divide doesn’t surprise me. AI excels at handling repetitive tasks and offering suggestions, but its output is only as good as the inputs it receives.
My advice:
- Treat AI as a co-pilot, not an autopilot.
- Invest in a robust testing infrastructure—it’s more critical than ever in the era of AI, where it’s easy and fast to introduce errors.
The Bigger Question: Will AI take away Jobs?
The adoption of AI has undoubtedly starting to transform the workplace, boosting productivity and driving innovation. But does this mean AI will replace human jobs?
My take: No.
- AI excels at handling mundane tasks and providing a head start on complex ones, freeing up time for developers to focus on strategic, creative, and high-value work
- Like every groundbreaking innovation, AI is creating and will create new job opportunities that didn’t exist before. Think of roles like AI governance, AI tooling specialists, and more.
Conclusion
AI adoption is reshaping how we work, offering immense benefits when used wisely. Leaders and teams must approach it as an enabler rather than a threat.
What has been your organization’s experience with AI adoption?
References
- Check your software delivery performance – Take the Quick Check
- DORA State of DevOps 2024 report – https://dora.dev/research/2024/dora-report/
- Full list of DORA State of DevOps reports since 2024 – https://dora.dev/research/
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