86% of software developers in UAE will use AI agents within two years: Survey

AI agents are set to revolutionise software development processes in the UAE, where 100% of teams use, or expect to use, AI code for generation, according to Salesforce’s new State of IT survey of software development leaders.

The large global study of more than 2,000 software development leaders, including 100 IT leaders in the UAE and a supplementary survey of 250 frontline developers in the United States, found that 86% of teams in the UAE will use AI agents within two years and 70% believe AI agents will be essential as traditional development tools.

UAE leaders expect their teams will increasingly focus on working with business stakeholders, editing code written by AI, and architecting complex systems, according to the survey.

The UAE data aligns with global trends, with more than 9 in 10 developers around the world excited about AI’s impact on their careers, while an overwhelming 96% expect it to change the developer experience for the better. The survey also revealed that more than four in five globally believe AI agents will become as essential to app development as traditional software tools.

The report highlights nearly unanimous excitement about agentic AI. Developers are not only looking to agents to unlock greater efficiency and productivity, but 92% globally believe agentic AI will help them advance in their careers. Some developers, however, believe that they, as well as their organisations, need more training and resources to build and deploy a digital workforce of AI agents.

Why it matters

Developers have often been painted as wary of AI, but new research reveals they are enthusiastic about the industry’s shift to AI agents. The arrival of agentic AI provides developers with the opportunity to focus less on tasks like writing code and debugging and grow into more strategic, high-impact work. And with developers increasingly using agents powered by low-code/no-code tools, development is becoming faster, easier, and more efficient than ever – regardless of developers’ coding abilities.

Salesforce perspective

“This survey indicates a strong enthusiasm for AI among UAE developers. However, the results also reveal that organisations have significant work to retool for the agentic AI era. Salesforce looks forward to providing partners and customers across the UAE and the Middle East with the tools to deploy and manage agentic AI effectively, allowing them to supercharge their transformation plans while supporting ambitious government goals such as the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031.” says Mohammed Alkhotani, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Salesforce Middle East.

“AI agents are revolutionising the way developers work, making software development faster, more efficient, and more enjoyable. This powerful digital workforce streamlines development by assisting with writing, reviewing, and optimising code — unlocking new levels of productivity,” remarks Alice Steinglass, EVP & GM, Platform, Integration and Automation.

AI agents for debugging, rectifying errors

Developers are enthusiastic about agentic AI and its impact on their career

Respondents are excited for agents to take on simple, repetitive tasks, freeing them up to focus on high-impact projects that contribute to larger business goals.

96% of developers globally are enthusiastic about AI agents’ impact on the developer experience. Developers are most eager to use AI agents for debugging and error resolution, then for generating test cases and building repetitive code. The arrival of agentic AI comes at a time when 92% of developers are looking to measure their productivity based on impact over output. With the help of AI agents, developers believe they’ll focus more on high-impact projects like AI oversight and architecting complex systems.

Low-code/no-code tools

With agents powered by low-code/no-code tools, developers of all levels can now build and deploy agents. Respondents believe these tools will help democratise and scale AI development for the better.

85% of developers globally, and 68% in the UAE, who are using agentic AI currently use low-code/no-code tools.

77% of developers globally, and 78% in the UAE, say that low-code/no-code tools can help democratise AI development.

78% of developers globally say that the use of low-code/no-code app development tools can help scale AI development.

Developers say updated infrastructure and more testing capabilities and skilling opportunities are critical as they transition to building and deploying AI agents.

Infrastructure needs: Many developers (82% globally, and 81% in the UAE) believe their organisation needs to update their infrastructure to build/deploy AI agents. Over half (56%) of developers say their data quality and accuracy isn’t sufficient for the successful development and implementation of agentic AI.

Testing capabilities: Nearly half (48% globally and 46% in the UAE) of developers say their testing processes aren’t fully prepared to build and deploy AI agents.

Skills and knowledge: More than 80% of developers globally, and 74% in the UAE, believe AI knowledge will soon be a baseline skill for their profession, but over half don’t feel their skillsets are fully prepared for the agentic era. Meanwhile, 56% of software development leaders in the UAE say they’ve introduced employee training on AI. Survey respondents globally identified training on technical AI skills and redefining current roles as the most important areas for employers to provide support.

Data is sourced from a software development leader segment of a double-anonymous survey of IT decision-makers conducted from December 24, 2024 till February 3, 2025. Respondents represent the United Arab Emirates, India, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Additional data was collected among nearly 250 frontline developers, in partnership with YouGov, in the United States from February 14 till February 21, 2025.