A recent survey by Zapier found that 34% of people shipping software using AI tools have no formal programming background. This trend is changing the way companies approach software development, as non-traditional builders are creating high-stakes work projects with AI, even with little to no coding experience.

Key Findings

The survey, which included 818 completed surveys, found that non-traditional builders typically use AI tools to create basic apps with broad use cases. Most commonly, they are making tools to analyze customer complaints or other data. About half of the people with no formal programming background have shipped four or more tools in the last year, and more than half are making something customers or the general public will see.

While AI coding presents challenges, such as code errors or bugs, security and data privacy concerns, and incorrect or unusable outputs, many non-traditional builders are finding success. One-fifth of non-traditional builders say their AI skills helped them land a promotion or raise recently, and 40% say their work using AI tools has helped them add more value to their organization.

Future of AI in Software Development

Two-thirds of non-traditional builders say they plan to continue using AI tools in the next one to two years, and 36% expect to use them significantly more. As AI technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how companies adapt to this new reality and how non-traditional builders will shape the future of software development.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.