For many software engineers, the text editor is half full.

Even as companies like Microsoft, CrowdStrike, and OpenText recently announced plans to slash their software departments or downsize while affirming AI priorities, coders who spoke with IT Brew feel confident in their place amidst the automation.

In favor. A Stack Overflow study, conducted in May and June 2024, found that 72% of more than 65,000 respondents consider AI tools “favorable or very favorable” for development; 70% said they did not “perceive AI as a threat” to their job.

An October 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 42% of “AI users” across all industries believe that the tech’s use will lead to fewer job opportunities. Those in “information and technology,” however, were among the most hopeful, according to the study: 16% of that group said AI would likely lead to more employment chances.

“I think a big reason why a lot of software engineers might say that they’re not worried about being replaced is because the true power comes from [AI] enhancing a set of skills you already have,” Graham Paasch, a network and automation engineer, told us.

Some have concerns for entry-level coders.—BH

If you’re an IT professional, chances are good you’ve been asked by management to integrate some form of AI into the company’s processes and procedures. Duolingo did just that recently, announcing last month that the company would become “AI first.”

But it’s not as simple as just adding an AI agent to your team’s workflow and calling it a day. You need to take care in making sure the tools you’re incorporating into existing systems are appropriate, secure, and cost-effective.

Start at the beginning. F5 Field CISO Chuck Herrin told IT Brew that the first step in the process is ensuring the AI tool you’ve chosen is one that will fit in with the organization’s priorities.

“You should try to start to separate the what from the how, figure out why you’re doing something, and then choose the right tool,” Herrin said. “And I think a lot of organizations are starting with the tool and then and then trying to fit it into some use case.”

See why you’ll need to talk with HR, too.—EH