Senior software program builders are getting ready for a significant shift in how they work as synthetic intelligence turns into central to their workflows, in accordance with BairesDev’s newest Dev Barometer report publishing tomorrow. VentureBeat was given an unique early look and the findings under come immediately from that report.
The quarterly international survey, which polled 501 builders and 19 mission managers throughout 92 software program initiatives, finds that almost two-thirds (65%) of senior builders count on their roles to be redefined by AI in 2026.
The info highlights a metamorphosis underway in software program improvement: fewer routine coding duties, extra emphasis on design and technique, and a rising want for AI fluency.
From Coders to Strategists
Amongst these anticipating change, 74% say they count on to shift from hands-on coding to designing options.
One other 61% plan to combine AI-generated code into their workflows, and half foresee spending extra time on system technique and structure.
“It’s not about strains of code anymore,” mentioned Justice Erolin, Chief Expertise Officer at BairesDev, in a current interview with VentureBeat carried out over video name. “It’s in regards to the high quality and sort of code, and the type of work builders are doing.”
Erolin mentioned the corporate is watching builders evolve from particular person contributors into system thinkers.
“AI is nice at code scaffolding and producing unit checks, saving builders round eight hours every week,” he defined. “That point can now be used for resolution structure and technique work—areas the place AI nonetheless falls quick.”
The survey’s information displays this shift. Builders are transferring towards higher-value duties whereas automation takes over a lot of the repetitive coding that when occupied junior engineers.
Erolin famous that BairesDev’s inside information mirrors these findings. “We’re seeing a shift the place senior engineers with AI instruments are outperforming, and even changing, the normal senior-plus-junior crew setup,” he mentioned.
Realism About AI’s Limits
Regardless of widespread enthusiasm, builders stay cautious about AI’s reliability.
Over half (56%) describe AI-generated code as “considerably dependable,” saying it nonetheless requires validation for accuracy and safety. Solely 9% belief it sufficient to make use of with out human oversight.
Erolin agreed with that sentiment. “AI doesn’t change human oversight,” he mentioned. “Whilst instruments enhance, builders nonetheless want to know how particular person elements match into the larger system.”
He added that the most important constraint in massive language fashions in the present day is “their context window”—the restricted capacity to retain and motive throughout complete methods. “Engineers must assume holistically about structure, not simply particular person strains of code,” he mentioned.
The CTO described 2025 as a turning level for the way engineers use AI instruments like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, and OpenAI’s fashions. “We’re monitoring what instruments and fashions our engineers use,” he mentioned. “However the greater story is how these instruments affect studying, productiveness, and oversight.”
That tempered optimism aligns with BairesDev’s earlier Dev Barometer findings, which reported that 92% of builders had been already utilizing AI-assisted coding by Q3 2025, saving a median of seven.3 hours per week.
A Yr of Upskilling
In 2025, AI integration already introduced tangible skilled advantages. 74% of builders mentioned the expertise strengthened their technical expertise, 50% reported higher work-life steadiness, and 37% mentioned AI instruments expanded their profession alternatives.
Erolin mentioned the corporate is seeing AI emerge as “a prime use case for upskilling.” Builders use it to “be taught new applied sciences sooner and fill data gaps,” he famous. “When builders perceive how AI works and its limitations, they’ll use it to boost—not change—their vital considering. They immediate higher and be taught extra effectively.”
Nonetheless, he warned of a possible long-term threat within the trade’s present trajectory. “If junior engineers are being changed or not employed, we’ll face a scarcity of certified senior engineers in ten years as present ones retire,” Erolin mentioned.
The Dev Barometer findings echo that concern. Builders count on leaner groups, however many additionally fear that fewer entry-level alternatives may result in long-term expertise pipeline points.
Leaner Groups, New Priorities
Builders count on 2026 to carry smaller, extra specialised groups. 58% say automation will scale back entry-level duties, whereas 63% count on new profession paths to emerge as AI redefines crew buildings. 59% anticipate that AI will create fully new specialised roles.
Based on BairesDev’s information, builders at present divide their time between writing code (48%), debugging (42%), and documentation (35%). Solely 19% report focusing totally on artistic problem-solving and innovation—a share that’s anticipated to develop as AI removes lower-level coding duties.
The report additionally highlights the place builders see the fastest-growing areas for 2026: AI/ML (67%), information analytics (46%), and cybersecurity (45%). In parallel, 63% of mission managers mentioned builders will want extra coaching in AI, cloud, and safety.
Erolin described the subsequent technology of builders as “T-shaped engineers”—individuals with broad system data and deep experience in a number of areas. “A very powerful developer transferring ahead would be the T-shaped engineer,” he mentioned. “Broad in understanding, deep in talent.”
AI as an Trade Normal
The This fall Dev Barometer frames AI not as an experiment however as a basis for the way groups will function in 2026. Builders are transferring past utilizing AI as a coding shortcut and as an alternative incorporating it into structure, validation, and design choices.
Erolin emphasised that BairesDev is already adapting its inside groups to this new actuality. “Our engineers are full-time with us, and we employees them out the place they’re wanted,” he mentioned. “Some purchasers need assistance for six months to a yr; others outsource their complete dev crew to us.”
He mentioned BairesDev gives “about 5,000 software program engineers from Latin America, providing purchasers timezone-aligned, culturally aligned, and extremely fluent English-speaking expertise.”
As builders combine AI deeper into their day by day work, Erolin believes the aggressive benefit will belong to those that perceive each the expertise’s capabilities and its constraints. “When builders be taught to collaborate with AI as an alternative of compete towards it, that’s when the actual productiveness and creativity positive aspects occur,” he mentioned.
Background: Who BairesDev Is
Based in Buenos Aires in 2009 by Nacho De Marco and Paul Azorin, BairesDev started with a mission to attach what it describes because the “prime 1%” of Latin American builders with international firms in search of high-quality software program options. The corporate grew from these early roots into a significant nearshore software program improvement and staffing supplier, providing every thing from particular person developer placements to full end-to-end mission outsourcing.
At present, BairesDev claims to have delivered greater than 1,200 initiatives throughout 130+ industries, serving a whole bunch of purchasers starting from startups to Fortune 500 corporations comparable to Google, Adobe, and Rolls-Royce. It operates with a remote-first mannequin and a workforce of over 4,000 professionals throughout greater than 40 international locations, aligning its groups to North American time zones.
The corporate emphasizes three core benefits: entry to elite technical expertise throughout 100+ applied sciences, speedy scalability for mission wants, and nearshore proximity for real-time collaboration. It stories shopper relationships averaging over three years and a satisfaction price round 91%.
BairesDev’s distinctive place—bridging Latin American expertise with international enterprise purchasers—provides it an unusually data-rich perspective on how AI is reworking software program improvement at scale.
The Takeaway
The Dev Barometer’s This fall 2025 outcomes counsel 2026 will mark a turning level for software program engineering. Builders have gotten system architects somewhat than pure coders, AI literacy is turning into a baseline requirement, and conventional entry-level roles might give method to new, specialised positions.
As AI turns into embedded in each stage of improvement—from design to testing—builders who can mix technical fluency with strategic considering are set to steer the subsequent period of software program creation.
