A new study by the consulting firm Adaptavist reveals that poor implementation of AI and pressure from organizations are fueling a well-being crisis among Spanish developers. According to the results, rigid adoption goals and KPIs are pushing developers towards more apparent than productive use of AI, and the resulting pressure is deteriorating the Developer Experience (DevEx) and putting software engineering talent at risk.
The study, based on a survey of 200 developers in Spain, reveals that 52% use AI mainly to demonstrate their adoption to management and not to improve results, and that half (50%) use it more frequently than necessary to meet the organizations’ expectations.
That pressure is reinforced by the way organizations measure AI. 45% of developers in Spain say that they are evaluated by how much they use AI and not by the quality of their work, while 63% say that the use of AI is becoming a formal performance metric or a KPI.
The most alarming thing is that 37% fear losing their jobs if they do not use AI. This suggests that the pressure to adopt it is no longer simply about encouraging experimentation. For a significant portion of developers, the use of AI is beginning to be linked to the security they feel in their position.
AI Anxiety Grows at All Career Stages
The pressure to adopt AI is taking a measurable toll. 57% of developers say they are being asked to do more with fewer resources due to expectations placed on AI, and 56% say their anxiety about their long-term career prospects has increased as a result. This trend is maintained at all stages of the career (51% among those at the beginning of their career, 54% among those at an intermediate level and 56% among the most experienced), which suggests that seniority hardly protects.
57% of developers who are forced to use AI report increased anxiety about their professional future, and 36% say this anxiety is negatively affecting their performance at work.
Developer experience, the priority for organizations
Despite the pressure, developers are clear about what a good developer experience really consists of. 82% of respondents in Spain say that having time to properly solve problems, rather than constantly working against deadlines, is essential for good DevEx, while 71% consider good DevEx to be more important than ever in the age of AI.
However, the experience of working in software development is already changing:
- 40% say AI is making software development less rewarding, rising to 51% among women
- 41% say AI is making work more stressful
- 45% believe software development is becoming a less attractive career
For some, this already translates into a frontal rejection of technology. A third (33%) say that, if given the choice, they would remove AI agents from the workplace entirely, while more than a quarter (26%) would banish AI from the world. These numbers rise to 38% and 28%, respectively, among mid-level and more experienced developers.
AI puts the talent of the Developer Experience or DevEx developer in software engineering at risk
In the words of Matt Saunders, DevOps Lead at The Adaptavist Group, “a good developer experience is essential not only for the well-being of the developers themselves, but also for the growth and innovation of organizations. Therefore, it should not be undermined by adoption goals, usage metrics or a culture that rewards appearing to use AI over using it well. Together, these factors are creating a breeding ground for an exodus, KPI by KPI,” he concludes.
According to the Adaptavist executive, organizations that want to retain engineering talent must stop measuring the adoption of AI and start measuring its results, in addition to giving developers the time, autonomy and support necessary to use this technology in a way that truly improves their work, instead of simply demonstrating that they use it.
