Only 9% of developers think AI code can be used without human oversight, BairesDev survey reveals
Senior software developers are preparing for a major change in the way they work as artificial intelligence takes center stage in their workflows BairesDevs newest Developer barometer report published today. VentureBeat got an exclusive sneak peek, and the findings below come straight from that report.
The quarterly global survey, which surveyed 501 developers and 19 project managers from 92 software initiatives, found that almost two-thirds (65%) of senior developers expect their roles to be redefined by AI by 2026.
The data highlights a transformation underway in software development: fewer routine coding tasks, more emphasis on design and strategy, and an increasing need for fluid AI.
From coders to strategists
Of those anticipating change, 74% say they expect to move from hands-on coding to solution design.
Another 61% plan to integrate AI-generated code into their workflows, and half expect to spend more time on system strategy and architecture.
“It’s not about lines of code anymore,” said Justice Erolin, Chief Technology Officer at BairesDev, in a recent interview with Venture Beat conducted via a video call. “It’s about the quality and type of code, and the type of work developers do.”
Erolin said the company sees developers evolving from individual contributors to systems thinkers.
“AI is great at building code and generating unit tests, saving developers about eight hours a week,” he explains. “That time can now be used for solution architecture and strategy work – areas where AI still falls short.”
The data from the survey reflects this shift. Developers are moving toward higher-value tasks, while automation is taking over much of the repetitive coding that junior engineers once did.
Erolin noted that BairesDev’s internal data reflects these findings. “We are seeing a shift where senior engineers with AI tools are outperforming and even replacing the traditional senior-plus-junior team setup,” he says.
Realism about the limits of AI
Despite widespread enthusiasm, developers remain cautious about the reliability of AI.
More than half (56%) describe AI-generated code as “somewhat reliable” and say it still needs validation for accuracy and security. Only 9% trust it enough to use it without human supervision.
Erolin agreed with that sentiment. “AI does not replace human supervision,” he said. “Even as tools improve, developers still need to understand how individual components fit into the larger system.”
He added that the biggest limitation of today’s large language models is “their context window”: the limited ability to maintain and reason about entire systems. “Engineers need to think about architecture holistically, not just about individual lines of code,” he said.
The CTO described 2025 as a turning point for how engineers use AI tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude and OpenAI’s models. “We keep track of the tools and models our engineers use,” he said. “But the bigger story is how these tools impact learning, productivity and supervision.”
That tempered optimism is consistent with BairesDev’s previous one Developer barometer Findings show that 92% of developers were already using AI-assisted coding by Q3 2025, saving an average of 7.3 hours per week.
A year of further training
By 2025, AI integration was already bringing tangible professional benefits. 74% of developers said technology strengthened their technical skills, 50% reported better work-life balance, and 37% said AI tools expanded their career opportunities.
Erolin said the company sees AI emerging as “an important use case for upskilling.” Developers use it to “learn new technologies faster and fill knowledge gaps,” he noted. “When developers understand how AI works and its limitations, they can use it to enhance (not replace) their critical thinking skills. They incentivize better and learn more efficiently.”
Still, he warned of a potential long-term risk in the industry’s current trajectory. “If junior engineers are replaced or not hired, in ten years we will face a shortage of qualified senior engineers as the current ones retire,” Erolin said.
The Developer barometer findings reflect that concern. Developers expect leaner teams, but many are also concerned that fewer entry-level opportunities could lead to long-term talent pipeline issues.
Smarter teams, new priorities
Developers expect 2026 to bring smaller, more specialized teams. 58% say automation will reduce the number of entry-level tasks, while 63% expect new career paths to emerge as AI redefines team structures. 59% expect AI to create entirely new specialized roles.
According to BairesDev data, developers currently divide their time between writing code (48%), debugging (42%) and documentation (35%). Only 19% say they focus primarily on creative problem solving and innovation – a share that is expected to grow as AI removes lower-level coding tasks.
The report also highlights where developers see the fastest growing areas for 2026: AI/ML (67%), data analytics (46%) and cybersecurity (45%). At the same time, 63% of project managers say developers need more training in AI, cloud and security.
Erolin described the next generation of developers as “T-shaped engineers”: people with broad systems knowledge and deep expertise in one or more areas. “The most important developer in the future will be the T-shaped engineer,” he said. “Broad in understanding, deep in skill.”
AI as an industry standard
The Q4 Developer barometer Frame AI not as an experiment, but as a foundation for the way teams will operate in 2026. Developers are moving beyond using AI as a coding shortcut and instead integrating it into architecture, validation, and design decisions.
Erolin emphasized that BairesDev is already adapting its internal teams to this new reality. “Our technicians work with us full-time and we staff them where they are needed,” he said. “Some customers need help for six months to a year, others outsource their entire development team to us.”
He said BairesDev “provides approximately 5,000 software engineers from Latin America, offering clients time zone, culturally aligned and highly fluent English-speaking talent.”
As developers integrate AI more deeply into their daily work, Erolin believes the competitive advantage will lie with those who understand both the capabilities and limitations of the technology. “When developers learn to collaborate with AI rather than compete against it, that’s where the real productivity and creativity gains come,” he says.
Background: who BairesDev is
Founded in Buenos Aires in 2009 by Nacho De Marco and Paul Azorin, BairesDev started with a mission to connect what it describes as the “top 1%” of Latin American developers with global companies looking for high-quality software solutions. From those early roots, the company grew into a major offshore software development and staffing provider, offering everything from individual developer placements to full end-to-end project outsourcing.
Today, BairesDev claims to have delivered more than 1,200 projects across more than 130 industries, serving hundreds of clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Google, Adobe and Rolls-Royce. It operates a remote-first model and employs more than 4,000 professionals in more than 40 countries, with teams aligned to North American time zones.
The company emphasizes three core benefits: access to top technical talent through more than 100 technologies, rapid scalability for project needs, and near-shore proximity for real-time collaboration. It reports customer relationships averaging three years and a satisfaction rate of approximately 91%.
BairesDev’s unique position – bridging Latin American talent with global enterprise clients – gives it an unusually data-rich perspective on how AI is transforming software development at scale.
The takeaway
The Developer barometerThe fourth quarter 2025 results suggest that 2026 will mark an inflection point for software engineering. Developers are becoming systems architects instead of pure programmers, AI literacy is becoming a basic requirement, and traditional entry-level roles can make way for new, specialized positions.
As AI becomes embedded in every phase of development – from design to testing – developers who can combine technical insight with strategic thinking will lead the next era of software creation.
