Senior software developers are preparing for a major shift in how they work as artificial intelligence becomes central to their workflows, according to BairesDev’s latest Dev Barometer report publishing tomorrow. VentureBeat was given an exclusive early look and the findings below come directly from that report.

The quarterly global survey, which polled 501 developers and 19 project managers across 92 software initiatives, finds that nearly two-thirds (65%) of senior developers expect their roles to be redefined by AI in 2026.

The data highlights a transformation underway in software development: fewer routine coding tasks, more emphasis on design and strategy, and a rising need for AI fluency.

From Coders to Strategists

Among those anticipating change, 74% say they expect to shift from hands-on coding to designing solutions.

Another 61% plan to integrate AI-generated code into their workflows, and half foresee spending 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 VentureBeat conducted over video call. “It’s about the quality and type of code, and the kind of work developers are doing.”

Erolin said the company is watching developers evolve from individual contributors into system thinkers.

“AI is great at code scaffolding and generating unit tests, saving developers around eight hours a week,” he explained. “That time can now be used for solution architecture and strategy work—areas where AI still falls short.”

The survey’s data reflects this shift. Developers are moving toward higher-value tasks while automation takes over much of the repetitive coding that once occupied junior engineers.

Erolin noted that BairesDev’s internal data mirrors these findings. “We’re seeing a shift where senior engineers with AI tools are outperforming, and even replacing, the traditional senior-plus-junior team setup,” he said.

Realism About AI’s Limits

Despite widespread enthusiasm, developers remain cautious about AI’s reliability.

Over half (56%) describe AI-generated code as “somewhat reliable,” saying it still requires validation for accuracy and security. Only 9% trust it enough to use without human oversight.

Erolin agreed with that sentiment. “AI doesn’t replace human oversight,” he said. “Even as tools improve, developers still need to understand how individual components fit into the bigger system.”

He added that the biggest constraint in large language models today is “their context window”—the limited ability to retain and reason across entire systems. “Engineers need to think holistically about architecture, not just individual lines of code,” he said.

The CTO described 2025 as a turning point for how engineers use AI tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, and OpenAI’s models. “We’re tracking what tools and models our engineers use,” he said. “But the bigger story is how those tools impact learning, productivity, and oversight.”

That tempered optimism aligns with BairesDev’s previous Dev Barometer findings, which reported 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 Upskilling

In 2025, AI integration already brought tangible professional benefits. 74% of developers said the technology strengthened their technical skills, 50% reported better work-life balance, and 37% said AI tools expanded their career opportunities.

Erolin said the company is seeing AI emerge as “a top 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. They prompt better and learn more efficiently.”

Still, he warned of a potential long-term risk in the industry’s current trajectory. “If junior engineers are being replaced or not hired, we’ll face a shortage of qualified senior engineers in ten years as current ones retire,” Erolin said.

The Dev Barometer findings echo that concern. Developers expect leaner teams, but many also worry that fewer entry-level opportunities could lead to long-term talent pipeline issues.

Leaner Teams, New Priorities

Developers expect 2026 to bring smaller, more specialized teams. 58% say automation will reduce entry-level tasks, while 63% expect new career paths to emerge as AI redefines team structures. 59% anticipate that AI will create entirely new specialized roles.

According to BairesDev’s data, developers currently divide their time between writing code (48%), debugging (42%), and documentation (35%). Only 19% report focusing primarily on creative problem-solving and innovation—a share that’s 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%). In parallel, 63% of project managers said developers will need more training in AI, cloud, and security.

Erolin described the next generation of developers as “T-shaped engineers”—people with broad system knowledge and deep expertise in one or more areas. “The most important developer moving forward will be the T-shaped engineer,” he said. “Broad in understanding, deep in skill.”

AI as an Industry Standard

The Q4 Dev Barometer frames AI not as an experiment but as a foundation for how teams will operate in 2026. Developers are moving beyond using AI as a coding shortcut and instead incorporating it into architecture, validation, and design decisions.

Erolin emphasized that BairesDev is already adapting its internal teams to this new reality. “Our engineers are full-time with us, and we staff them out where they’re needed,” he said. “Some clients need help for six months to a year; others outsource their entire dev team to us.”

He said BairesDev provides “about 5,000 software engineers from Latin America, offering clients timezone-aligned, culturally aligned, and highly fluent English-speaking talent.”

As developers integrate AI deeper into their daily work, Erolin believes the competitive advantage will belong to those who understand both the technology’s capabilities and its constraints. “When developers learn to collaborate with AI instead of compete against it, that’s when the real productivity and creativity gains happen,” he said.

Background: Who BairesDev Is

Founded in Buenos Aires in 2009 by Nacho De Marco and Paul Azorin, BairesDev began with a mission to connect what it describes as the “top 1%” of Latin American developers with global companies seeking high-quality software solutions. The company grew from those early roots into a major nearshore 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 130+ industries, serving hundreds of clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 firms such as Google, Adobe, and Rolls-Royce. It operates with a remote-first model and a workforce of over 4,000 professionals across more than 40 countries, aligning its teams to North American time zones.

The company emphasizes three core advantages: access to elite technical talent across 100+ technologies, rapid scalability for project needs, and nearshore proximity for real-time collaboration. It reports client relationships averaging over three years and a satisfaction rate around 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 Dev Barometer’s Q4 2025 results suggest 2026 will mark a turning point for software engineering. Developers are becoming system architects rather than pure coders, AI literacy is becoming a baseline requirement, and traditional entry-level roles may give way to new, specialized positions.

As AI becomes embedded in every stage of development—from design to testing—developers who can combine technical fluency with strategic thinking are set to lead the next era of software creation.