The AI Feedback Loop That Isn't Working Yet

Why developers are slower with AI tools despite believing they're faster and what actually works

Developers have a time problem. Not the “I need more hours in the day” kind—though that’s true too, but a feedback problem that costs them hours or even days of productive work.

When you submit code changes, you wait. The CI/CD pipeline runs its tests. Sometimes it fails in the final stage after hours of processing. You get a cryptic error log. You debug. You resubmit. You wait again.

This is the expensive reality of modern software development. A 2024 research paper from Chalmers University identified this pattern, noting that “developers often seek expedited results from these pipelines”, but the architecture of most CI/CD systems works against this preference.

Now we have data showing the problem is more complex than anyone predicted.

The Real Cost: Time Saved, Time Lost

Atlassian’s 2025 State of Developer Experience survey found that AI is saving developers approximately 10 hours per week. That sounds like unqualified success, until you see the other half of the equation.

The same surve…