Redefining the Developer Role - A Case Study on Human-AI Collaboration in Software Engineering at a Large Manufacturing Company

Abstract

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is fundamentally transforming software engineering. While the potential efficiency gains of these tools are widely recognized, their impact on roles and organizations in real-world contexts is only beginning to emerge. This case study investigates the integration and consequences of GenAI at a large Swedish manufacturing company through 25 interviews with participants from multiple software engineering domains. Specifically, the research examines current usage patterns, concrete use cases, and practices for human-AI collaboration. The results indicate that GenAI integration profoundly redefines developers’ identities, shifting their primary roles from traditional “coders” to “code reviewers” and “software architects”. Developers are moving upstream in the development cycle, assuming responsibilities traditionally held by product owners and project managers. Core competencies are shifting as the need for syntax memorization is replaced by systems thinking and communication skills. While the vast majority of participants reported individual time savings, this efficiency is largely reinvested into raising quality baselines rather than directly increasing output volume. Furthermore, developers across all domains remain reluctant to trust autonomous AI without strict human oversight. The study also reveals significant disparities in GenAI adoption, with embedded systems developers demonstrating slower adoption rates. At the organizational level, GenAI presents new opportunities, such as cognitive offloading and enhanced cross-functional communication. However, it also introduces new challenges and bottlenecks. The primary development bottleneck has shifted from how to build a solution to what to build, accompanied by a shift toward requirements engineering and an emerging “deskilling” threat that could result in a future shortage of developers with deep domain expertise. To realize the true potential of GenAI, organizations must take proactive responsibility for upskilling, unifying AI strategies, and protecting the junior developer role.