Developer Resistance to Generative AI Adoption: Identifying Barriers in Software Development
Type
conference contribution
Date Issued
2025-12-14
Author(s)
Abstract
Actual usage of GenAI tools appears to fall behind expectations within organizations. Prior studies emphasize enablers of GenAI adoption but overlook factors that inhibit adoption. Hence, innovation resistance theory (IRT) is applied to decompose inhibitors into distinct resistance barriers. Specifically, we examine why software developers resist adoption of GenAI despite its promising productivity benefits through 15 semi-structured interviews. We further refine our analysis by considering task complexity and developer experience. Our results reveal that developers embrace GenAI for medium-complex tasks yet often reject it for both low- and high‐complexity tasks. While this pattern holds for juniors and seniors alike, the underlying reasons for their resistance differ by experience level. By highlighting how the open-ended nature of GenAI models increasingly complicates adoption, our study advances theoretical understanding of resistance to GenAI. Practically, we recommend organizations to identify measures that support employees navigating GenAI in augmenting tasks of mid-level complexity.
Keywords
Resistance (ecology)
Task (project management)
Computer science
Knowledge management
Software development
Software
Generative grammar
Productivity
Data science
Variety (cybernetics)
Process management
Software engineering
Task analysis
Software development process
Human–computer interaction
Development theory
Information system
Resistance (ecology)
Task (project management)
Software development
Software
Generative grammar
Productivity
Social Sciences Social Sciences Safety Research Ethics and Social Impacts of AI
Physical Sciences Computer Science Information Systems Software Engineering Techniques and Practices
Physical Sciences Computer Science Human-Computer Interaction Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Subject(s)
Division(s)