A new survey says executives report double-digit revenue gains tied to AI adoption
AI-enhanced software development could unlock US$750 billion in global economic value as companies report significant revenue growth tied to artificial intelligence investments, according to a new survey of C-level executives.
The research by Gitlab shows AI investments save US$28,249 per developer annually, which scales to US$750 billion globally across 27 million developers worldwide.
Executive respondents reported a 44% increase in revenue over the past 12 months due to AI use. Additionally, 58% of organizations experienced business growth tied to software innovation during the last year.
91% of executives say that software innovation is now a core business priority, the study found.
The survey revealed widespread adoption expectations for agentic AI, with 89% of executives predicting it will become the industry standard for software development within three years.
However, security concerns remain a significant barrier to implementation. Top worries about agentic AI adoption include cybersecurity threats, data privacy and security issues, and maintaining proper governance structures.
Only 53% of companies are implementing regulatory-aligned governance measures, while 52% are developing internal AI policies and 47% are using third-party audits.
Despite AI's growing role, human expertise remains crucial. Nearly all executives (99%) say human contributions are valuable for software development, with creativity and strategic vision identified as the most valued human inputs.
The research found 73% of leaders believe human input should represent at least 50% of the human-AI partnership in software development, while 27% think AI should handle the majority of work.
92% say businesses should prioritize training employees to work alongside agentic AI to address skill gaps, according to the findings.
Software innovation has gained boardroom attention as companies recognize its bottom-line impact. The study showed 91% of executives report their boards support software innovation benefits, and 82% are willing to invest over half their annual IT budget to prioritize software innovation.
Most companies (90%) have adopted frameworks linking software development to key business outcomes, with increased business growth, improved problem solving, and enhanced developer productivity serving as common success metrics.
https://www.hcamag.com/au/news/general/ai-powered-software-could-generate-us750b-in-global-value/550134
