- Senior developers lean on AI coding tools while they are the Double Control Machiners’ deficiencies, report allegations
- More than 70% say AI makes coding considerably more fun
- Junior programmers prefer handwritten code in spite of pressure on embracing automation
Software development has always reflected generational shifts, from handwritten scripts to cloud platforms, with the latest movement now to AI tools that generate code.
A recent study by the Cloud Services Platform quickly suggests that the slot between younger and older developers is not as clear as some might assume.
Instead of resisting automation, it seems that many senior engineers embrace it in ways that highlight both their experience and their priorities.
Older coders take the lead
The vote reveals a small majority of them with more than ten years in the field reporting that AI-Assisted Coding helps them deliver software faster.
At the same time, they recognize using extra effort to review for machine -created shortcomings.
This pattern points less to excessive and more to a calculated use of automation in accordance with their broader responsibility.
One of the more striking findings of the study is that about a third of senior developers produce more than half of their finished work through AI coding generation.
In contrast, only 13% of them with less than two years of experience reported a similar level of use.
Austin Spiers, Senior Director of Developer Engagement at Fastly, explained senior engineers “Do not write code all day” and are instead often expected to juggle with testing, architecture and mentoring assignments.
With the help of AI to prototype quickly, he suggested, can recreate the “funny dopamine hit” that drew many developers for programming in the first place.
This does not necessarily mean that younger codes are left behind; Fewer than half of them felt that AI coding accelerated their work, with many preferred handmade solutions themselves.
Spiers described this as “cordial”, which suggests that less experienced programmers still value the craft of traditional development.
In all age groups, more than 70% of respondents said that AI systems made their job more fun, with over 30% to call the effect “significant.”
Nevertheless, the study also revealed differences in how generations are approaching the environmental impact of software.
80% of older codes said they considered the energy cost of their work compared to almost half of younger developers.
Almost one in ten admitted that they had no idea how much power their code devoured.
“There is not much incentive for AI coding tools to reveal what the carbon footprint of these tools is,” added Spiers.
“More senior engineers understand the second and third effect of their code in how it relates to users and how it relates to their community. And I think it’s just a matter of time before junior developers begin to understand these branches a little longer.”
While developers may be testing prototypes at advanced workstations or even on programming computers for programming, they remain major consequences of widespread automation uncertain.
For the time being, research suggests that senior engineers set the tone and mix efficiency with caution when navigating a developing coding culture.
