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AI-native engineers will become the most in-demand in tech industry — a study by SoftServe and MIT Technology Review

22/ 04/ 2026
  SoftServe, a digital engineering and technology services company specializing in AI, data, and cloud solutions, today released its new report, Redefining the Future of Software Engineering, which examines how agentic AI is changing the way software is designed, developed, and managed. Conducted by MIT Technology Review, the global study found nearly all respondents (98%) expect AI agents to dramatically accelerate software delivery. Software engineering teams are no strangers to agentic AI. The study found that 79% of respondents have been using tools such as AI assistants for the past two years with coding and quality assurance cited as the greatest early benefits experienced in the first year at 44% and 38%, respectively. However, SoftServe’s report reveals the same teams are now advancing toward agentic engineering across the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC). In fact, 72% of organizations expect AI agents to manage most or all software or product lifecycles end‑to‑end within the next two years, with 41% predicting it will happen within 18 months. “How AI is used in software engineering continues to accelerate and evolve from individual vibe coding experiments to more disciplined agentic engineering, which has potential to boost team productivity by an order of magnitude,” said Serge Haziyev, CTO, Advanced Technologies at SoftServe. “The implication is profound for the industry, but the technology alone will not deliver the promised leap. From our perspective, the turning—or tipping—point for the next era of software development will come not just from technology but completely rethinking the people, processes, and tools together.” Overall, AI is not only about improving efficiency and reducing costs for businesses, but also about enabling the creation of better, higher-quality products. Survey respondents note that AI helps engineering teams to: iterate on new ideas faster and more frequently during product development; explore alternative approaches to development and design; gain deeper insights into user needs; learn from experts across other industries and domains. The study also examines the perceived challenges organizations face with agentic AI in software engineering. While experts interviewed in the report point to change management as a major hurdle, only 12% of respondents identify it as a primary barrier to successful enterprise scaling. Instead, the bulk (44%) cite computing costs and agent integration among the biggest challenges. This disconnect suggests organizations may be underestimating the difficulties of adoption and overestimating how quickly they can scale. But experts believe that to be more effective, companies will need to make fundamental, ground-level changes across software engineering teams, core workflows, processes, and the SDLC. Ultimately, they say, the shift to agentic engineering will be worth it. While half of organizations deem agentic AI a top investment priority for software engineering today, it will be the leading investment for 84% by 2029. Survey insights were drawn from 300 senior software engineering, data, and technology executives, including CIOs, CTOs, and CAIOs (Chief AI Officers). All respondents represent large enterprises across seven diverse industries and six countries. The vast majority generate $500 million or more in annual revenue, providing a clear depiction of how the worlds largest companies are deploying advanced AI tools. To learn more about the forecasted future of software engineering and agentic AI, read the full report here or visit this website. About SoftServe SoftServe is digital engineering and technology services company specializing in AI, data, and cloud solutions. We expand the horizon of new technologies to solve todays complex business challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes for our clients. Our boundless curiosity drives us to explore and reimagine the art of the possible. Clients confidently rely on SoftServe to architect and execute mature and innovative capabilities, such as digital engineering, data and analytics, cloud, and AI/ML. Our global reputation is gained from more than 30 years of experience delivering superior digital solutions at exceptional speed by top-tier engineering talent to enterprise industries, including high tech, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, retail, energy, and manufacturing. Visit our website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (Twitter) pages for more information.

SoftServe, a digital engineering and technology services company specializing in AI, data, and cloud solutions, today released its new report, Redefining the Future of Software Engineering, which examines how agentic AI is changing the way software is designed, developed, and managed. Conducted by MIT Technology Review, the global study found nearly all respondents (98%) expect AI agents to dramatically accelerate software delivery.

Software engineering teams are no strangers to agentic AI. The study found that 79% of respondents have been using tools such as AI assistants for the past two years with coding and quality assurance cited as the greatest early benefits experienced in the first year at 44% and 38%, respectively. However, SoftServe’s report reveals the same teams are now advancing toward agentic engineering across the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC). In fact, 72% of organizations expect AI agents to manage most or all software or product lifecycles end‑to‑end within the next two years, with 41% predicting it will happen within 18 months.

“How AI is used in software engineering continues to accelerate and evolve from individual vibe coding experiments to more disciplined agentic engineering, which has potential to boost team productivity by an order of magnitude,” said Serge Haziyev, CTO, Advanced Technologies at SoftServe. “The implication is profound for the industry, but the technology alone will not deliver the promised leap. From our perspective, the turning—or tipping—point for the next era of software development will come not just from technology but completely rethinking the people, processes, and tools together.”

Overall, AI is not only about improving efficiency and reducing costs for businesses, but also about enabling the creation of better, higher-quality products. Survey respondents note that AI helps engineering teams to:

  • iterate on new ideas faster and more frequently during product development;
  • explore alternative approaches to development and design;
  • gain deeper insights into user needs;
  • learn from experts across other industries and domains.

The study also examines the perceived challenges organizations face with agentic AI in software engineering. While experts interviewed in the report point to change management as a major hurdle, only 12% of respondents identify it as a primary barrier to successful enterprise scaling. Instead, the bulk (44%) cite computing costs and agent integration among the biggest challenges. This disconnect suggests organizations may be underestimating the difficulties of adoption and overestimating how quickly they can scale.

But experts believe that to be more effective, companies will need to make fundamental, ground-level changes across software engineering teams, core workflows, processes, and the SDLC. Ultimately, they say, the shift to agentic engineering will be worth it. While half of organizations deem agentic AI a top investment priority for software engineering today, it will be the leading investment for 84% by 2029.

Survey insights were drawn from 300 senior software engineering, data, and technology executives, including CIOs, CTOs, and CAIOs (Chief AI Officers). All respondents represent large enterprises across seven diverse industries and six countries. The vast majority generate $500 million or more in annual revenue, providing a clear depiction of how the world’s largest companies are deploying advanced AI tools.

To learn more about the forecasted future of software engineering and agentic AI, read the full report here or visit this website.

About SoftServe

SoftServe is digital engineering and technology services company specializing in AI, data, and cloud solutions. We expand the horizon of new technologies to solve today’s complex business challenges and achieve meaningful outcomes for our clients. Our boundless curiosity drives us to explore and reimagine the art of the possible. Clients confidently rely on SoftServe to architect and execute mature and innovative capabilities, such as digital engineering, data and analytics, cloud, and AI/ML.

Our global reputation is gained from more than 30 years of experience delivering superior digital solutions at exceptional speed by top-tier engineering talent to enterprise industries, including high tech, financial services, healthcare, life sciences, retail, energy, and manufacturing. Visit our website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (Twitter) pages for more information.

This material is provided by a member company or partner organization of the European Business Association as part of an informational collaboration. The Association is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. The views, opinions, and recommendations expressed in this material are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of the European Business Association.

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