Software Developers Shift to AI Code Reviewers
Computer Weekly, Thursday, May 14th, 2026
Survey finds 81% of developers spend more time reviewing AI-generated code despite productivity gains.
A Harness survey of 700 software developers across five countries found that while 89% believe AI has improved productivity metrics and code generation accelerates development cycles, 81% now spend significantly more time reviewing AI-generated source code. On average, 31% of a developer's day is consumed by unmeasured AI-related work, with 53% citing code review as the biggest source of friction.
The study reveals that organizations measure gross code output but fail to account for hidden costs like debugging overhead, tech debt, and developer burnout, prompting industry leaders to recommend tracking AI review time and productivity losses before planning further AI tool investments.