The Psychological Costs of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Software Engineering

An AI rollout can change how software professionals experience responsibility and satisfaction, even when an organization mainly tracks productivity. In a case study conducted one year into a large software services company's adoption effort, researchers collected accounts through meetings and interviews. Participants described anxiety about accountability, disruption to their sense of craftsmanship, and intensified mental effort and workload. Some responded by finding ways to regain control or preserve valued parts of their work. These accounts identify workplace costs that productivity measures alone can miss; the single-company study does not establish how common those experiences are across the profession. Study abstract.