Generative AI is expected to play a key role in augmenting the global software workforce, according to research by IT services provider Capgemini.

AI is projected to assist with 25% of software design, development and testing within the next two years, according to the Capgemini Research Institute. It also found that 80% of software professionals believe that by automating simpler repetitive tasks, Gen AI tools will significantly transform their function and free them up for higher value-added tasks. Already 46% of software engineers use AI to assist them with tasks, and the leading use case is coding assistance.

Already, software professionals saw a time saving of between 7% and 18% on average. For certain specialized tasks, the saving was a high as 35%.

Only 4% of organizations planned to reduce headcount because of AI. And new roles are coming such as Gen AI developer, prompt writer and Gen AI architect.

“Generative AI has emerged as a powerful technology to assist software engineers, rapidly gaining adoption,” Pierre-Yves Glever, head of global cloud and customer applications, said in a press release. “Its impact on coding efficiency and quality is measurable and proven, yet it holds promise for other software activities. However, we must remember that the true value will emerge from a holistic software engineering approach, beyond deploying a single ‘new’ tool.”

Capgemini’s research is based on a global survey of 1,098 senior executives and 1,092 software professionals.