
The State of AI-Driven Software Releases 2026
We surveyed 400+ engineers to find out how AI-generated code is reshaping software releases and where the cracks are starting to show.
In partnership with

What’s inside
- How much new code is now being written with AI assistance and who’s feeling it most?
- Why more code doesn’t always mean better releases and what the data says about quality
- The guardrail gap: what organizations say they have in place, versus what’s actually there
- How teams are adapting code review, testing, and deployment to handle the new volume
- The growing role of feature flags and experimentation in AI-driven releases

How are engineering teams releasing AI-generated code safely in 2026?

Still require manual human review for every single line of AI-generated code.

Have specific guardrails in place for AI-generated code.

Are running more experiments than ever before. AI has changed pace of exploration.

Say AI has actually improved the quality of their software.
Download the report
AI is writing more code than ever. Are your releases keeping up? Explore the full report for more.
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Go deeper with the panel discussion
The report author Scott Carey is joined by n8n director of engineering, Claire Knight, and Aaron Newcomb from Harness to unpack the report findings. They will debate what’s actually driving the release slowdown, and get practical about what engineering leaders can do differently.

Download the report
Read the full findings to understand how AI is reshaping software releases, where the risks are accumulating, and what leading teams are doing differently.
