CEO Sundar Pichai rings alarm for software engineers, says 25 per cent Google software now written by AI

Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the Q3 2024 earnings call said that over a quarter of the company's codes are now written by artificial intelligence (AI).

In Short

• 25% of Google's new code is AI-generated
• Engineers may need new skills to manage AI
• Google integrates AI across operations

Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed a striking statistic during the company's recent third-quarter 2024 earnings call: over 25 per cent of Google’s new code is now generated by artificial intelligence (AI) and subsequently reviewed by human engineers. What does this mean for software engineers and coders? It marks a fundamental shift in the coding landscape, where AI increasingly shares the workload. Before you lose your cool. It may not necessarily mean coders losing their jobs, but that AI can enable engineers to focus on higher-level problem-solving and innovation. That said, while automation boosts efficiency, it also raises questions about the future need for entry-level and routine coding jobs, pushing engineers to adapt their skills to remain competitive in an AI-driven landscape. This means, coders and software engineers may need to develop complementary skills in overseeing, refining, and guiding AI-generated code.

Most of all, this shift underscores Google’s ambitious push to embed AI deeper into its operations, highlighting a pivotal moment for the tech industry as AI's role in development workflows becomes increasingly substantial.

“More than a quarter of all new code at Google is generated by AI,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote on a blog post on the earnings call. By deploying AI to accelerate coding processes, Pichai says the company aims to enable engineers to innovate faster while simultaneously reducing development timelines. This AI-driven coding assistance is part of a broader trend within Google to streamline operations. For this, the company has recently also integrated its research, machine learning, and security teams, alongside platforms and devices teams, to encourage faster deployment of new models like Gemini.

As of now, Gemini’s integration has expanded beyond Google’s own products. Pichai writes on the blog that Gemini is now available through GitHub Copilot, marking a critical step in making AI-powered tools accessible to developers worldwide. The company has also invested in video AI, with Google DeepMind’s Veo set to launch on YouTube Shorts later this year, empowering creators with generative video tools.

Google’s use of AI in both its internal processes and products for users shows it’s prepared to lead the next wave of tech innovation. This shift aims to change how software is developed and improve Google’s products with new AI features.