The Impact of Generative AI on Creativity in Software Development: A Research Agenda

Victoria Jackson*, Bogdan Vasilescu, Daniel Russo, Paul Ralph, Rafael Prikladnicki, Maliheh Izadi, Sarah D'Angelo, Sarah Inman, Anielle Andrade, André Van Der Hoek

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

19 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

As GenAI becomes embedded in developer toolchains and practices, and routine code is increasingly generated, human creativity will be increasingly important for generating competitive advantage. This article uses the McLuhan tetrad alongside scenarios of how GenAI may disrupt software development more broadly, to identify potential impacts GenAI may have on creativity within software development. The impacts are discussed along with a future research agenda comprising five connected themes that consider how individual capabilities, team capabilities, the product, unintended consequences, and society can be affected.

Original languageEnglish
Article number133
Number of pages28
JournalACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology
Volume34
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Keywords

  • Creativity
  • Foundational Models
  • Generative AI
  • Software Development

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Impact of Generative AI on Creativity in Software Development: A Research Agenda'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this