Free report·
Progression of how developers engage with AI
Trends amongst professional software developers, Q1 2024 to Q1 2026
88% of professional developers now work with ML/AI models, tools, APIs, or services.
This 31st edition of SlashData's State of the Developer Nation series examines how professional software developers' engagement with AI has evolved between Q1 2024 and Q1 2026. It establishes the overall state of AI engagement in Q1 2026, tracks how that picture has shifted across six survey waves, and then focuses on developers adding AI functionality to applications to understand which types of models they use. The report shows that working with AI has become mainstream, that non-use has fallen sharply in the past year, and that engagement spans a range of maturity levels from lightweight chatbot use to hands-on model development. It also examines the models developers choose when embedding AI into applications, finding a mixed landscape where open models lead but proprietary models are gaining ground. The findings carry implications for vendors offering models, APIs, infrastructure, and deployment tools.
Key findings
- 88% of professional developers work with ML/AI models, tools, APIs, or services, with only 12% not engaging with AI in any way in Q1 2026.
- Non-use fell from 24% in Q1 2025 to 12% in Q1 2026, and from 28% in Q1 2024, indicating a recent acceleration in adoption.
- The share using AI-assisted tools rose from 61% to 79% over two years, with 53% using AI chatbots for coding questions and 42% using AI development tools or agents in their coding environment.
- 32% of developers add AI functionality to applications (up from 23% in Q3 2024) and 26% develop AI models or infrastructure (up from 15%).
- Among developers adding AI functionality, open or open-source models remain dominant at 67% while proprietary or closed-source models rose from 43% in Q3 2024 to 51% in Q1 2026.
Questions this report answers
How many professional developers use AI in 2026?
As of Q1 2026, 88% of professional developers work with ML/AI models, tools, APIs, or services, with only 12% not engaging with AI in any way.
How quickly has AI non-use declined among developers?
Non-use fell from 28% in Q1 2024 to 12% in Q1 2026, with much of the decline occurring in the past year, pointing to a recent acceleration.
What is the most common way developers interact with AI?
The most common form is using AI chatbots outside the coding environment to answer coding questions, selected by 53% of developers, while 42% use AI-assisted development tools or agents integrated into their coding environment.
Do developers prefer open or proprietary models when embedding AI into applications?
Open or open-source models remain the leading choice at 67% in Q1 2026, but proprietary or closed-source models are strengthening, rising from 43% in Q3 2024 to 51% in Q1 2026.
Where is AI adoption growing fastest?
AI usage is growing fastest amongst developers at larger companies, while usage amongst freelancers and self-employed developers has remained relatively unchanged over the past two years.
How many developers build their own AI models?
Building your own models remains less common: among developers adding AI functionality, use of models built by themselves or their team fell from 25% in Q3 2024 to 21% in Q1 2026, with 9% of all developers building and training AI models.
Who it's for
- AI model, API and infrastructure vendors shaping product strategy and messaging
- Developer tool product and marketing teams tracking adoption trends
- Analysts and strategists benchmarking AI engagement across the developer economy