--- title: "63% of developers have more work since non-devs began coding with AI, but most say it's good for the industry " description: "66% of developers think it's a positive thing for the industry when people without tech experience code with AI—it lets the devs do more complex work." image: "https://images.ctfassets.net/lzny33ho1g45/5uzFQMDeoSXNhdCz0iOxc/55c3ed245a6af693a2a8624332e304cd/Hero.jpg" --- # 63% of developers have more work since non-devs began coding with AI, but most say it's good for the industry 66% of developers think it's a positive thing for the industry when people without tech experience code with AI—it lets the devs do more complex work. Every labor-saving device ever invented came with the same promise and the same catch. The robot vacuum, for example, will clean your floors while you relax, and it does—right after you spend 15 minutes moving chair legs and coiling phone chargers so it doesn't eat them. The work didn't disappear. It changed shape and moved upstream. AI coding tools do the same thing. The pitch was that AI would handle the tedious parts of software development and hand developers back their afternoons. The first half came true. Developers really are writing less basic code by hand, and the people writing it instead often aren't developers at all. The free afternoons never showed up, though. In our new survey, 63% of professional developers say their workload has increased since non-technical coworkers started building with AI. But they're not mad about it. Two-thirds say this shift is good for the industry, often because of _how_ their roles have changed. We surveyed 797 U.S. software engineers and developers to find out what actually changed in their day-to-day, what their roles look like now, and which skills they think will still matter when the boilerplate is fully automated. **Key findings:** - [Instead of viewing them as a threat, 66% of developers like the idea of non-tech workers using AI tools to code](#instead-of-threat) - [With less basic coding to do, 56% of developers say their role has shifted to high-value strategy](#less-basic-coding) - [Developers' top 5 future-proof skills are further from the code](#future-proof-skills) ## Instead of viewing them as a threat, 66% of developers like the idea of non-tech workers using AI tools to code On paper, this should be the setup for a horror movie. In a [previous survey we ran](https://zapier.com/blog/building-business-software/), we found that 34% of people building software with AI tools at work have no formal programming background—no CS degree, no prior engineering job. And more than half of those non-traditional builders have shipped something that customers or the general public will actually see. If you've spent a decade banging your head over complex coding problems, watching a marketing manager build a customer-facing tool over a long weekend could reasonably feel like a threat. But most developers don't see this change as a threat. Two-thirds (66%) say it's a positive thing for the industry when people without technical backgrounds build with AI. And the enthusiasm doesn't drop off among the people it costs the most—88% of developers whose workloads increased significantly still feel good about the change. Part of the reason is that developers aren't giving up code—they're giving up the parts of coding nobody was precious about. Most use [AI coding tools](https://zapier.com/blog/ai-coding-tools/) in their own work to automate repetitive, entry-level tasks, such as boilerplate code (68%), or they use them as a second set of eyes to review code or security (59%).  ## With less basic coding to do, 56% of developers say their role has shifted to higher-value strategy  Now that more workers are handling their own basic code, developers are using their expertise to shape bigger conversations about strategy, oversight, and governance. The majority (84%) of developers say the scope of their role has changed meaningfully.  Specifically, 56% say their role has shifted toward their employer's higher-value strategy, such as custom system architecture and core infrastructure.  Additionally, technical staff members are shifting toward high-leverage oversight, enablement, and [governance](https://zapier.com/blog/ai-governance/). Two key shifts in developer focus are: - **Cross-functional orchestration (40%):** Developers are spending more time collaborating, establishing guardrails, and collaborating with non-technical teams. - **Governance (39%):** Engineers are redirecting their skills toward reviewing, auditing, and fixing code and tools. Which is to say: a meaningful slice of the profession has been converted into the person making decisions in the control room, not out on the field. AI was always going to change _how_ we work. It was never going to let us put our feet up while [agents](https://zapier.com/blog/ai-agent/) did all of our work for us. One concern amid the rise of AI has been that all our work would be automated. But the data doesn't show that happening: only 14% say their day-to-day scope has actually shrunk, and another 14% report no real change.  The dominant story isn't developers being replaced—it's developers being reassigned, usually upward, though sometimes into work they didn't sign up for. ## Developers' top 5 future-proof skills are further from the code This change in who writes code means developers can't rely on basic syntax or boilerplate code to break into the tech industry anymore. We asked programming professionals what skills early-career devs need for career stability.  They highlighted five critical capabilities that will drive future job security:  - **Security, privacy, and risk management (49%):** This could include safeguarding automated systems against new vulnerabilities. - **AI & low-code QA (48%):** Reviewing and auditing machine-generated code for quality. - **AI/ML understanding (42%):** Masteries like prompt engineering and model evaluation. - **Technical strategy (42%):** Scoping complex projects and mapping architecture. - **Data engineering (40%):** Building and maintaining data pipelines. Notice that every one of the top five is some version of the same job: deciding whether something is safe, correct, and worth shipping. ## Shifting your career priorities doesn't have to feel scary AI is reshaping the software development industry, and a developer's day-to-day in 2026 already looks nothing like it did in 2022. It will likely look different again in 2030. If your favorite part of dev work is scaling software frameworks or building ironclad security practices, this is your time to shine. That's also the work [Zapier](https://zapier.com/) is built for: connecting the tools a company already uses and helping you enforce guardrails so they run as they should.  And while I don't have a crystal ball, I can bet the thousands of lines of boilerplate probably aren't coming back. What's replacing them is the interesting part of the problem—and the people who need your help with it.  **Related articles** - [AI governance: What it is and why it's crucial for every business](https://zapier.com/blog/ai-governance/) - [No-code automation: A guide to building powerful workflows](https://zapier.com/blog/no-code-automation/) - [AI workflows: How to actually use AI in your business ](https://zapier.com/blog/ai-workflows/) - [How Zapier can help you with valuemaxxing, not tokenmaxxing](https://zapier.com/blog/minimize-ai-spend/) - [The best integration SDKs](https://zapier.com/blog/integration-sdk/)