Developers’ Dilemma: Opportunities and Pitfalls of Generative AI for Software Development

Abstract Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has attracted worldwide attention across numerous domains, with particularly strong implications for software development. Effective integration of GenAI requires a thorough understanding of both its opportunities and pitfalls for software developers and the organizations they are embedded in. In this study, 30 expert interviews were conducted to examine the sociotechnical impact of GenAI from the perspective of software development practitioners. The findings show that GenAI can enhance individual and organizational productivity and stimulate creative problem-solving. At the same time, concerns emerge around over-reliance, skill degradation, and homogenization among developers. Moreover, with GenAI rapidly providing valuable information, communication between developers may decline, potentially undermining interpersonal relationships and team cohesion. These insights contribute to information systems theory by examining GenAI’s effects on social capital, machine-induced reflections, and developers’ professional identity, while also offering practical implications for the effective and sustainable adoption of GenAI in software development.