By Bryan Kirschner, VP of Strategy, DataStax
It’s time to make HR every bit as important as IT for a company’s artificial intelligence strategy.
In addition to all the evidence that getting developers to work on AI is good for business, even giving them the opportunity to work on and work with AI has a positive effect on job satisfaction, adoption and retention. There is increasing evidence that
Getting this right is very important today. In 2022, McKinsey’s State of AI Report states:[s]Another clear sign that many organizations are moving significantly from experimenting with AI to actively embedding it in enterprise applications.”
And the stakes are high. Data collected for the most recent State of the Data Race report found that developers were the most leveraging next-generation technologies (these developers describe themselves as “the first to learn about new tools and technologies within their organization”). (the developer who claims to be “a person from the must rely on answers about emerging technologies) describes interacting with real-time data and building AI and ML-powered apps: The most important factor in deciding where to work.
Overall, developers in organizations where both AI and ML are widely deployed say the technology is “more exciting than ever” than those in organizations where AI and ML are in the “early stages” of deployment. 15% more likely to say Similarly, they were 18 points more likely to feel “energized” about their work.
AI: An Opportunity for Developers to Influence
It’s not hard to see why. Developers have always turned to technology that allows them to increase their impact and keep their skills up to date. (For example, data from the State of the Data Race shows that about three-quarters rate the opportunity to learn and use the latest technology as important to their job.)
And as many CIOs now feel pressure from their enterprise teams to create AI apps that can cut costs quickly, AI offers the potential to help their jobs weather the recession.
Therefore, it’s important that your talent strategy keeps up with the pace at which competitors push developers into production. It’s also important to address how your competitors make developers not only happier, but more productive.
AI: How to Boost Developer Productivity
AI has a role to play here as well. A new study detailing the impact of his GitHub Copilot on developer productivity and happiness takes this issue to the next level. Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) of his 2,000 developers surveyed use his Copilot, his assistant in real-time to provide code suggestions. He says his productivity has improved. 60% say they feel more fulfilled at work.
In the words of one software engineer, this explains why: It sparks little sparks that make coding more fun and more efficient. ”
But it’s arguably one chief technology officer’s perspective that sets the call to action the best. Copilot makes things more exciting. ”
You already know that the apps that delight your customers the most and gain market share and margins are AI-driven. Developers who are already working for you today, and those you want to hire, are eager to work on them and use AI tools themselves. This is the clear North Star for an immediate alignment of business, people, and IT strategies.
Learn how DataStax enables real-time AI here.
About Brian Kirshner:
Bryan is the Vice President of Strategy at DataStax. Over his 20+ years, he has helped build and execute strategies for large organizations as they seek new ways to move forward and a future that is vastly different from their past. He specializes in removing fear, uncertainty and doubt from strategic decision-making through empirical data and market perception.
