62% of modern engineers expect their career growth to be enhanced by AI : Report

AI and Generative AI-led technologies are changing the future of modern businesses, and every sector is looking to harness its potential. However, behind this technology revolution, it is the modern engineers who are at the forefront of this disruption. EPAM Systems, Inc. (EPAM), a leading global digital transformation services and product engineering company, and CyberMedia Research (CMR) commissioned a joint study to better understand modern engineers’ perspectives around AI and generative AI. The study covered 800+ modern engineers aged 25 years and above, with top skillsets cutting across Data Engineering, Analytics, Product & Platform Engineering, Cloud Transformation & Migration, Testing, Digital Experience Engineering, Al Prompt Engineering, and others.

The respondents were surveyed from 8 major cities in India with the highest concentration of modern engineers.

Key Highlights

Modern engineers believe that AI can significantly improve daily work by automating tasks and increasing efficiency:

• AI has provided continuous learning and development opportunities (60%) for most modern engineers.
• While AI integration has boosted team communication and collaboration (47%) and clarified data-driven decision-making (44%), seamlessly integrating AI into existing workflows remains a challenge (37%).
• While (41%) of modern engineers feel current AI training resources are insufficient, leading to job security concerns (44%), a significant majority (76%) expect their organizations to offer access to AI resources and learning platforms for professional development.
• Modern engineers believe that following (50%) AI protocols set by their organizations ensure human accountability and control over AI-driven decisions. They prefer Explainable AI (56%) for transparent decision-making.

Furthermore, the report brings insights such as:

• AI improves decision-making by minimizing errors and enhancing data interpretation, yet it requires human oversight to ensure accuracy.
• AI has transformative potential in engineering workflows, offering continuous learning opportunities and acting as a valuable daily assistant. Its clear impact on problem-solving, debugging, and workflow efficiency highlights its job market relevance and the need for engineers to adapt and learn continuously.
• AI serves as a catalyst for creative problem-solving, offering alternative approaches and solutions that engineers might not initially consider, thereby enhancing both the quality and relevance of their work.
• There is an apprehension that AI will handle more tasks, potentially making certain job roles obsolete and leading to a significant shift in the workforce.
• The integration of AI in the engineering industry is poised to bring about significant changes, both in terms of job creation and job elimination. Roles focused on AI/ML model monitoring, data analysis, and the formation of cross-functional teams are anticipated to emerge.

Commenting on the report’s launch, Elaina Shekhter, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at EPAM said, “At EPAM, we see AI as a game-changer for modern engineers, and the survey results echo this sentiment. The enthusiasm for AI’s potential to boost careers and productivity is clear, and we’re committed to making this a reality for our engineers. By equipping our engineers to become AI collaborators, not competitors, we will be able to unlock a new era of innovation and efficiency, where they leverage AI’s power to automate mundane tasks, gain deeper data-driven insights, and focus on the truly creative and strategic aspects of engineering.  Ultimately, AI is the future of engineering and EPAM is here to empower our engineers to lead the way.”

Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director at EPAM India further added, “EPAM is the home of the modern engineers, and our survey findings on AI adoption resonate deeply. Engineers see the immense potential of AI to boost careers and productivity, and companies need to bridge the knowledge gap and equip our engineers with the skills and support they need to thrive in the AI era. The survey reinforces our commitment to continuous learning and development. By providing comprehensive training resources, fostering a culture of collaboration and addressing head-on anxieties around job security, we can empower our engineers to not only understand AI but also leverage its power to become even more innovative and productive.  After all, AI should not be seen as a replacement but, as a powerful tool that can elevate the work our engineers do.”