87% of Developers Say AI Speeds Up Coding, but 72% Still Face Workflow Friction

A survey by Atlassian finds that AI is helping developers write and ship code faster, but that speed has not removed friction across the software development lifecycle.

Nearly nine in 10 developers surveyed (87%) said AI helps them write and ship code faster. Yet three in four (72%) reported the same or greater friction across the full lifecycle. The report suggests that AI may be shifting bottlenecks downstream rather than resolving time constraints.

Only 25% of developers said they save at least 10 hours a week using AI, down from 68% in 2025. Developers also pointed to difficulties finding information (51%) and frequent meetings (50%) as sources of friction.

Atlassian Customer CTO Andrew Boyagi said, “Faster code is not the same as better software delivered sooner.” He said that teams’ difficulties finding information, clarifying requirements and moving work through delivery can prevent faster coding from translating into business outcomes.

Three in five developers said simply using AI is treated as a positive measure, even when its real-world impact is not considered. Workers at companies with an effective AI strategy were twice as likely to report positive effects. However, just 17% said their employer had a clearly communicated and implemented AI strategy. The report calls for clearer strategies and greater consideration of AI’s effects.