The influence of Artificial intelligence on productivity in Software development

Over the past few years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made remarkable strides in various domains, transforming the way we live, work, and interact. The rapid advancement of AI technologies has significantly impacted numerous industries Czarnitzki et al (2022). As AI systems continue to evolve, they offer potential solutions to enhance productivity by automating repetitive tasks, assisting in decision-making, and providing intelligent insights. In the end of 2022 OpenAi released ChatGPT – AI-driven language model which immediately captured the attention of the world, demonstrating remarkable capabilities in generating human-like text, providing valuable assistance in numerous tasks. Giving that it is a recent development, there is a pressing need to examine its impact on productivity in software development. Understanding how AI-driven language models like ChatGPT can be integrated into software development workflows and the benefits they may offer can help organizations optimize their processes, enhance efficiency, and ultimately, achieve greater success in the competitive landscape. This study is timely and relevant as it seeks to address the knowledge gap by examining the effects of ChatGPT on productivity in software development through a survey-based analysis. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of implementing artificial intelligence, particularly ChatGPT, on productivity during various stages of software development processes. The research gathered data from professionals holding various roles within different organizations and employed statistical analysis methods such as correlations and ANOVA to derive meaningful insights. The primary means of data collection was an online survey, which encompassed a combination of closed-ended and open-ended questions. This survey was conducted over a span of five months, from March to July 2023, and involved the exchange of more than 3000 messages, resulting in 150 valuable responses. Findings indicate that ChatGPT's influence on productivity varies across different stages of the software development process. Notably, in the requirements gathering and code generation stages, ChatGPT exhibited its most profound impact. These findings highlight ChatGPT's potential to streamline the initial phases of development, where clear documentation and code generation are crucial. However, in testing and debugging stages, the impact was relatively less pronounced. The findings of this study can contribute to the ongoing discourse on AI's role in software development, informing practitioners and researchers alike on the potential benefits of implementing AI technologies in the industry.