Indian developers save 10 hours a week with AI coding tools

Indian software developers are saving an average of 10 hours each week by using AI-powered coding tools, placing them ahead of the global average.

The results form part of BairesDev's Dev Barometer for the third quarter of 2025, based on a survey of 1,129 senior developers and 50 project managers in 63 countries, including contributions from 143 Indian participants. The survey aims to measure how technology professionals are adopting AI and other emerging digital tools in their work routines.

Productivity gains

Indian developers using AI tools for programming are recovering more than a full workday weekly, with their efficiency savings almost three hours higher than the global mean. This trend highlights the pace at which India's developer community is embracing digital transformation. The survey indicates that 72% of Indian respondents are concerned about keeping up-to-date with AI skills, prompting concentrated efforts on upskilling.

On average, Indian developers dedicate five hours per week to learning about AI and emerging technologies, one hour more than their international peers. The predominant approach relies on informal learning resources, with 56% each citing YouTube tutorials and on-the-job experience as their main avenues for acquiring new skills.

Developers are embracing AI. They're boosting productivity, learning faster, and discovering greater purpose as they shift to high-value problem-solving. However, the survey also reveals a critical gap: while developers race ahead, many companies are lagging behind. It is time for businesses to invest in upskilling and AI integration to avoid being left out of the next wave of innovation," said Nacho De Marco, CEO and Co-Founder of BairesDev. "The Dev Barometer gives us an unfiltered look at how tech professionals are shaping and perceiving the evolving tech landscape. We hope these real-time insights will help businesses navigate this shift with confidence.

Although formal education in AI remains limited-with just 14% of Indian respondents undertaking structured courses or certifications, and 11% participating in vendor-led bootcamps-nearly half (48%) intend to prioritise AI and machine learning upskilling in the upcoming quarter. That figure is more than double those planning to focus on DevOps and cloud technologies, at 22%.

Changing workflows

The impact of AI adoption is also reflected in software development workflows. The report finds that 43% of Indian developers say over a quarter of their code is now written with some form of AI assistance. Improvements are noted in coding speed, code quality, and overall productivity.

According to the survey, 92% of Indian developers agree that using AI tools has made their work better, with 67% saying coding is faster, 43% that code is of higher quality, and 38% that productivity has increased. A large majority, 81%, report that AI has helped make their work more fulfilling, and 88% believe it has enabled new career opportunities through automation, accelerated career progression and evolving AI-agent workflows.

Enterprise adoption

Despite these individual advances, AI integration at the organisational level remains limited. According to project managers globally, 64% of AI-related initiatives are still in experimental or exploratory stages. Only a small minority-3%-report full integration of AI tools in their regular delivery pipelines. The gap between personal adoption and enterprise strategy is especially pertinent in India.

The survey highlights several barriers to broader enterprise uptake. Indian developers cite data privacy as the primary concern (62%), followed by the lack of clear internal client policies (52%) and legacy IT systems (50%). These obstacles are echoed in global results, where project managers also mention unclear return on investment (38%) and limited resources (36%) as challenges for adopting AI at scale.

Upskilling outlook

The report shows that upskilling remains a priority for Indian developers, both for individual growth and in anticipation of changing job requirements. The focus on AI and machine learning is likely to continue in the upcoming quarters, reflecting the fast-moving nature of the technology sector. While self-directed approaches dominate, there is an identifiable opportunity for businesses to foster more structured AI education among their workforce to close the gap between employee skills and enterprise adoption.