More Code, More Review: How AI Is Changing Engineering

During Inc42’s inaugural ‘The CTO Summit 2026’ in Bengaluru, engineers discussed how AI is reshaping their work. AI coding tools accelerate code creation, prompting engineers to focus more on system design, reviews, and reliability testing. This change impacts productivity and teams are rethinking their strategies. Jitendra Agrawal, executive VP of engineering at JioHotstar, noted engineers now invest more in design and review, utilizing AI to explore previously overlooked features.

However, he cautioned against assuming significant productivity gains without proof. CTO of LeadSquared, Pankaj Goel, warned that AI can inflate traditional metrics such as pull requests per developer and lines of code, even if team performance remains unchanged. Metrics like speed to production, stability, availability, and customer impact are now considered better indicators of engineering performance.

At Cashfree Payments, CTO Ramkumar Venkatesan revealed that spending on testing environments surpassed AI tool investments. Automation now covers 97% of their tests, freeing the testing team to concentrate on performance and security. Prabhu Ram, SVP of engineering at Razorpay, reiterated that AI cannot compensate for poor engineering foundations, such as inadequate performance monitoring systems.

To optimize AI tool usage, companies are adjusting employee access. Eightfold’s director of engineering, Thiyagaraj T, explained the shift from fixed budgets to automatic top-ups after underutilisation issues. HR and operations teams now allocate higher plans, showcasing broader AI adoption. The panel underscored that code generation alone does not fully capture AI’s value.

Evaluating AI's benefits requires considering design, review, testing, and the time needed to deliver reliable software for customers.