How AI Is Making Software Engineering More Solitary — and Pushing Teams Toward Higher‑Level Collaboration

AI is reshaping daily work and interactions for software engineers

Several software engineers report that routine reliance on AI tools has reduced casual, in‑person problem‑solving and everyday interactions with colleagues — even as it speeds up individual work and shifts meetings toward strategic conversations.

What engineers are noticing

According to a September Google Cloud report, AI adoption among software professionals has climbed to about 90%, a 14% increase year over year. As code assistants and large language models become integrated into everyday workflows, many teams are reserving meetings for higher‑level design and review, while delegating smaller, practical questions to AI.

“It has fostered less of that interaction, face‑to‑face, to some degree,” said Andrew Wang, 33, a former Amazon engineer now at Fermat, describing how informal idea exchanges have given way to AI‑driven workflows.

Engineers interviewed by Business Insider said that, even when overall interaction frequency hasn't dropped dramatically, their first instinct for small questions is to consult AI rather than a teammate or manager. Geeta Shankar, 25, at Salesforce, said she now often tries to learn or troubleshoot with AI before asking a colleague. Sumanu Rawat, 30, at Walmart Global Tech, recalled waiting hours early in his career for a short mentor meeting; now he often gets immediate answers by feeding context into tools like Copilot.

Consequences for mentoring and team culture

Some worry that early‑career engineers and interns may miss out on spontaneous mentoring moments and casual interactions that build rapport and institutional knowledge. Feneel Doshi, 27, at a New York startup, said AI tools aren’t inherently isolating but that workplace culture depends on deliberate connection as well as productivity tools.

Practical responses are already emerging: more entry‑level engineers and interns are scheduling coffees and one‑on‑ones with leaders to make up for fewer informal touchpoints, according to Prashanthi Padmanabhan, LinkedIn’s VP of engineering for talent solutions.

From tactical to strategic collaboration

Industry leaders see this shift as part of a broader evolution. Anurag Dhingra, Cisco’s SVP of the Enterprise Connectivity and Collaboration Group, said software engineering sits on the “bleeding edge of what is possible with AI,” and that increasingly capable agents can begin to feel like teammates.

That, Dhingra predicts, will push human collaboration toward larger, system‑level problems — architecture, user experience and product strategy — rather than routine implementation details. Several engineers agreed: teams are spending less time on syntax and practical troubleshooting and more time debating trade‑offs and deciding what to build.

Faster delivery, deeper conversations — with intent

Engineers also report productivity gains. Shankar said tasks that once took two days can now take five hours, enabling faster sharing of findings. Doshi noted more frequent and deeper review meetings where teams discuss trade‑offs rather than just code syntax.

Takeaway: AI is changing how engineers work — reducing some spontaneous interactions while creating space for higher‑level collaboration. The result is not purely isolating: it emphasizes the need for deliberate mentorship and intentional team rituals so early‑career staff still build relationships and context.

Reporting by Business Insider; comments reflect interviews with multiple software engineers and industry leaders.