The False Dichotomy: AI vs. Developers
The debate around the future of developers is stuck in the mistaken idea that AI and humans are competitors. But, as usual, the reality is more complex. The State of Software 2025 report—based on analysis of over 300 billion lines of code across 20,000+ systems—shows that while AI automates basic code production, complexity in system architecture, security, and quality assurance is exploding.
The result? 73% of AI-generated systems already suffer from quality issues, with only 1.5% test coverage compared to 43% in traditional systems. This isn’t proof that AI is replacing developers—it’s evidence that we need developers who understand AI’s limitations and can build robust systems around it.
From Code Writers to System Architects
The data shows how the developer role is moving up the value chain, supported by multiple signals:
Security as a Systemic Challengemisk utmaning
60% of all systems are classified as having “low levels of security controls,” while systems with high code quality are twice as likely to meet strong security compliance. This highlights something fundamental: security is not about tools or final-stage checks—it’s about systemic understanding and architectural design.
As cybercrime is projected to cost trillions globally in 2025, developers who treat security as a core design principle are becoming critical. They’re not just implementing features—they’re designing secure systems from the ground up.
Costly Maintenance as a Driving Force
The report exposes a hidden cost crisis: poor software quality can cost up to €7 million per year for large systems. For an average system, it’s around €250,000 in unnecessary maintenance.
This explains why developers with deep architectural understanding and long-term system health awareness are so valuable. They’re not just delivering today’s functionality—they’re building tomorrow’s technical debt or technical assets.
Legacy Systems as Innovation Blockers
37% of legacy systems fall below recommended architectural standards, and poorly designed systems are 40% slower to adapt. In a world where business pace is accelerating, developers who can modernize and transform these systems become strategically essential.
The AI Era Paradox: More Automation = More Complexity
One of the most surprising insights from the report is how AI adoption introduces new quality challenges—it doesn’t just solve old ones. While AI automates coding, it also creates a new category of technical debt and systemic risk.Python, the dominant language for AI development, is also one of the least energy-efficient. This creates a complex equation where developers must balance AI capabilities with sustainability, performance, and long-term maintainability.Future developers therefore need to develop what we might call AI systemic competence—the ability to:
- Design systems that integrate AI securely and at scale
- Understand model limitations and performance degradation over time
- Implement continuous validation and retraining of models when needed
- Balance AI capabilities with energy consumption and long-term sustainability
Cloud Migration’s Hidden Complexity
The report also shows that cloud migration is often treated as a logistical task rather than a systemic transformation. The result? What researchers call “legacy in the cloud”—the same performance, complexity, and cost issues, just in a different environment.
Developers who treat cloud migration as architectural transformation—not just a technical shift—become extremely valuable. They’re not working on infrastructure; they’re driving business transformation.
A surprisingly important dimension is software’s environmental impact. The report reveals that code refactoring can reduce energy usage by 17% on average, and algorithmic optimization can cut it by up to 90%.
With only a fraction of the world’s largest companies on track to meet net-zero targets by 2050, developers who understand sustainable software design are part of the solution to the climate crisis.
Industry-Specific Transformations
The report also highlights significant differences across industries:
Security Leaders: Finance, energy, and public sectors rank highest in security—likely driven by regulatory pressure.
Maintenance Efficiency: Retail, education, and media often lead in maintainability, while telecom, business services, and manufacturing lag behind.
Cloud Maturity: Sectors with strong regulatory requirements also lead in cloud adoption.
This shows that the developer transformation isn’t uniform. Depending on the sector, different combinations of security, compliance, architectural understanding, and business logic are needed.
The New Developer Skillset: Systemic Intelligence
What emerges clearly from the report and industry trends is that future developers will need what can be called systemic intelligence—the ability to navigate complex systems where technology, business logic, security, sustainability, and human factors intersect.
This includes:
- AI Integration: Knowing how to integrate AI safely and effectively without creating new systemic risks.
- Architectural Thinking: Designing secure, maintainable, scalable systems—not just functional ones.
- Business Logic Translation: Understanding business needs and translating them into long-term technical value.
- Risk and Quality Assessment: Identifying and mitigating technical debt, security risks, and maintenance burdens.
- Sustainability Perspective: Awareness of software’s environmental impact and the ability to design energy-efficient solutions.
The Conclusion: Developers Are Rising in the Value Chain
The State of Software 2025 report offers an unusually clear picture of where the developer role is heading. While basic code writing is increasingly automated, the demand for systemic understanding, architectural expertise, and cross-functional competence is exploding.
Developers aren’t disappearing from the tech landscape—they’re climbing the value chain. They’re shifting from implementers to architects, from solving technical issues to solving business problems, from writing code to designing the digital future.
For organizations, this means investing in developer competence is a strategic necessity. For developers, it means shifting focus from technical breadth to systemic depth.
Tomorrow’s developers will both write code and design digital ecosystems that are secure, sustainable, scalable, and business-driven. In a world where software powers everything from finance to climate action, that makes them more valuable than ever.
The developer profession is undergoing perhaps its most exciting transformation yet—from craftspeople to architects of our digital society. And according to the data, that journey is just beginning.
