Some software engineers say AI has made the job more solitary than ever

"For Andrew Wang, a 33-year-old software engineer, AI has become a part of his daily routine - but it's come at the cost of some of the casual conversations he used to have with colleagues. Wang said the growing reliance on large language models has, at times, made teams feel more "siloed." In the past, coworkers would regularly hash out ideas and design options in impromptu conversations, he said. Now, much of that back-and-forth happens with AI instead - leaving formal meetings for design or code reviews."

"Software engineering, known for its solitary nature, has been quick to embrace AI. Google Cloud released a report in September which found that AI adoption has surged to 90% among software professionals, a 14% increase from last year. Anurag Dhingra, SVP of the Enterprise Connectivity and Collaboration Group at Cisco, told Business Insider that software engineering is on the "bleeding edge of what is possible with AI." That means engineers are increasingly turning to agents for tasks that once relied on collaboration with coworkers, like writing or reviewing code together, he said. "The more sophisticated these agents get, the more they start to feel like your coworkers and your teammates," Dhingra said. "That is definitely changing this dynamic.""

AI has become a routine tool for many software engineers, reducing informal in-person exchanges and impromptu idea-sharing. Engineers increasingly rely on large language models and agents for tasks such as writing and reviewing code, which can replace some collaborative troubleshooting. This shift has led teams to feel more siloed and decreased casual face-to-face interaction. Formal meetings are increasingly dedicated to higher-level design discussions and code reviews rather than day-to-day problem-solving. AI adoption among software professionals has risen sharply, reflecting rapid integration and changing workplace dynamics and collaboration patterns.

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