GitHub survey: AI coding tools deliver multiple benefits to developers in India, but company adoption lags

GitHub released new research highlighting how software professionals are putting AI coding tools to use, and the impact it’s having on their teams, code, and organisations. The survey reveals that 81% of developers in India have experienced a perceived increase in code quality due to AI coding tools, and 66% believe these tools will enhance their ability to meet customer requirements, among other benefits. However, only 40% say their companies are actively encouraging the use of AI coding tools, highlighting an opportunity for organisations to better support their developers’ interests.

“The potential of AI-driven software development is undeniable,” said Kyle Daigle, Chief Operating Officer at GitHub. “However, individual AI usage isn’t enough. Organisations need to operationalise AI throughout the software development lifecycle to boost collaboration, creativity, and modernisation. By prioritising a strategic approach that balances innovation, security, and organisational alignment, we can unlock its full potential. This is an exciting time for engineering leaders–in India and globally–to embrace these advancements and propel their teams forward,” Daigle added.

The survey of 2,000 software professionals–which includes 500 respondents each across India, the U.S., Brazil, and Germany at organisations with 1,000 or more employees–identified several key benefits that respondents associate with using AI coding tools in software development.

Key insights from respondents in India include:

• Improved code quality. 81% of respondents in India reported a perceived increase in code quality when using AI coding tools. This aligns with research GitHub conducted with Accenture over the past year to analyse the impact of GitHub Copilot on enterprise engineering teams, and its impact on perceived code quality.
• Respondents anticipate AI will enhance code security and development efficiency. There is universal anticipation (100%) among survey respondents in India that AI coding tools will improve code security. Notably, the highest expectation of a “significant improvement” across all respondents globally was in India, with 41% expressing this view.
• Improve ability to meet customer requirements. The majority of respondents in India (66%) expressed optimism about the potential of AI coding tools to moderately improve or significantly enhance their ability to meet customer requirements. This trend was consistent across various industries, suggesting a widespread expectation of benefits from generative AI.
• Easier to work with new programming languages, and understand existing codebases. A large portion (69%) of respondents in India reported that these tools make it “easy” to adopt a new programming language or understand an existing codebase. Notably, 28% of those in India highlighted that AI coding tools made it “very easy” for them to adopt a new programming language or understand an existing codebase.
• Test case generation. 99% of respondents in India stated their organisations have experimented with using AI coding tools to generate test cases. The majority (75%) of respondents reported their organisations use AI tools for test generation at least “sometimes.”
• Proficiency in AI coding tools is seen as a major asset by job seekers. Nearly all respondents in India (99%) believe this skill makes them more attractive candidates, underlining the growing importance of AI across various fields. Notably, 56% in India believe this expertise significantly boosts their employability.

Despite the reported benefits of AI coding tools by a high portion of respondents in India, a smaller percentage said their companies are actively encouraging adoption or allowing the use of AI tools, highlighting room for progress. In fact:

• 99% of respondents surveyed in India reported using AI coding at work at some point.
• In contrast, a much smaller percentage (40%) of respondents in India said their companies actively encourage and promote AI tool adoption. 
• An additional 39% of respondents in India report that their organisations allow the use of these tools but offer limited encouragement. To maximise the benefits of these tools, organisations should have a roadmap, a clear strategy, and policies in place to ensure wider adoption happens through building trust and driving measurable performance metrics.