Measuring the impact of AI on software engineering – with Laura Tacho

In this episode of The Pragmatic Engineer Podcast, Gergely Orosz interviews Laura Tacho, CTO at DX, about the impact of AI tools on software engineering. They discuss the oversimplification and hype in mainstream media regarding AI, emphasizing the need for engineers to educate business counterparts on the realistic limitations and possibilities of these tools. Laura shares data-driven insights, including an AI measurement framework focusing on utilization, impact, and costs, and case studies from companies like Booking.com and WorkHuman. The conversation covers the paradox of AI potentially decreasing developer satisfaction, the importance of measuring developer experience, architectural changes to accommodate AI, and the structured rollout of AI tools, highlighting the need for data-driven decisions over hype.