Why Do Software Practitioners Use ChatGPT for Software Development Tasks?

We have seen a drastic increase in the use of AI assistants like ChatGPT as a tool within the context of software engineering. As such, numerous studies have emerged to examine the various usages and perceptions of ChatGPT as a tool to support the completion of software development tasks, such as coding and program comprehension. Despite all the evidence of use in practice, little to no work has investigated why software practitioners use AI assistants like ChatGPT in lieu of (or as a supplement to) existing tool support. Motivated by this gap, we administered a survey to explore the underlying motivations encouraging practitioners to adopt ChatGPT, the challenges they encounter, and their expectations for future improvements. Our findings suggest that software practitioners may be using general purpose AI-assisted tools like ChatGPT more than those designed for software development and that impact of use extends beyond individual productivity. Insights from our efforts contribute to the ongoing discourse on optimizing the use of AI-assisted tools to better support software development practices.