Their jobs were among the first to be changed by AI. Now some are trying to avoid it
A new survey of software developers reveals that while AI adoption is high, a significant portion of the workforce is actively avoiding the technology. Many developers report feeling unhappy or complacent in their roles, citing concerns over AI's lack of context and its impact on job satisfaction.
Why it matters
It highlights the growing friction between rapid AI integration in the workplace and the actual utility and morale of the human workforce.
In 2024, software engineer Laura Housh began using AI as a helper for coding and other tasks. Two years later, Housh says she has a love-hate relationship with AI. “I’ve tried to use it for coding, and I just can’t get behind it,” she said. AI can provide direction or serve as a second set of eyes, she said, but added that it lacks the context to be truly useful. Housh isn’t the only one who thinks AI isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Six in 10 tech workers who participated in a new survey say they try to avoid using AI, according to Stack Overflow, a popular question-and-answer site for programmers. The results of Stack Overflow’s 103-question survey, which includes responses from 30,000 software developers in 169 countries, were shared exclusively with CNN ahead of their Tuesday publication.
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