Independent research on how AI is reshaping software development, built on 20 years of surveying developers. Read our latest findings on AI developer tools and agents, AI ROI, open models and cloud native development.
The complete analysis behind each survey wave, with the sample stated on every chart.
OpenAI Codex is the most widely adopted tool, used by nearly 60% of professional developers writing AI-assisted code, and leads on satisfaction with a CSAT score of 88 out of 100.
88% of professional developers now work with ML/AI models, tools, APIs, or services.
80% of developers agree or strongly agree that generative AI will increase their potential and productivity.
No. We reach out to the global developer population afresh in each wave, so the results represent the many different communities, backgrounds and projects out there.
We check for speeding and straightlining, run advanced bot and VPN detection, and build consistency checks around most questions. For example, a respondent who says they use React but also says they cannot code is caught by these checks.
In some projects, yes. If one group, such as a region, brings a disproportionate share of the sample, we weight the data across several attributes to reduce that bias.
Each report on this page states its sample, so you can see how many developers the finding rests on before you use it.
This page lists every free report, newest first, and the latest blog posts. The link at the end of the blog section takes you to every post.
The headline number and what it means, in a few minutes of reading.
34% of developers using AI developer tools in agentic modes say difficulty estimating cost before a task runs limits how much autonomy they give AI agents. As vendors move to metered pricing, predictable cost becomes part of the product.
62% of developers with 16+ years of experience say AI developer tools cut the time they spend on repetitive tasks, against 42% of developers with 0-2 years. SlashData's Developer Nation Q1 2026 data from 4,203 professional developers shows the return on AI rises with experience.
SlashData is launching a recurring research programme for CTOs and VPs of Engineering. The first release looks at how software teams measure AI ROI, and how many do it formally.
