Docker, a provider of cloud-native application development tools, content, and services for developers, today released findings from the Docker AI Trends Report 2024, a precursor to the upcoming State of Application Development Report 2024 from Docker. Conducted with over 1,300 developers worldwide, the survey reveals the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on application development and the emerging opportunities for improving development practices.

“Docker’s AI Trends Report 2024 clearly demonstrates that AI is not merely a trend but a fundamental shift in software development,” said Nahid Samsami, vice president of Developer Experience at Docker. “These findings are a first in a series of insights that Docker will share over the coming months and we’re excited to share more. These insights validate our direction and fuel our mission to provide powerful, intuitive solutions that support developers in this rapidly evolving ecosystem.”

Key Findings:

• Broad AI Adoption: A striking 64% of respondents are leveraging AI for tasks like coding, documentation, and research, highlighting AI’s deep penetration into the development process.
• AI is not a Threat: Fewer respondents see AI as a job threat (23%) or complicating their jobs (19%).
• Perception of AI: 65% view AI positively, citing easier job processes (61%) and focus on crucial tasks (55%). However, there was also a cautionary note on the hype surrounding AI, with 45% of respondents feeling that AI might be overemphasized in the industry.
• AI in Everyday Development Activities: Developers are leveraging AI chiefly for coding, documentation, and research purposes, underscoring AI’s role in optimizing essential facets of the development cycle. 64% use AI for work, mainly for coding (33% of respondents), documentation (29%), research (28%), writing tests (23%), and troubleshooting/debugging (21%).
• Rising Reliance on AI: More junior back-end and full-stack developers (less than five years of experience) report a significantly greater dependence on AI tools compared to their more experienced counterparts (approximately 4 out of 10 reported reliance versus 2.5 out of 10). This may indicate an increasing reliance on AI among the next generation of developers and specialized technical roles.
• AI Tools of Choice: The most utilized AI tools among developers are ChatGPT (46% of respondents), GitHub Copilot (30%), and Google Gemini (formerly Bard) (19%).