The digital travel platform Agoda has released its latest study, showing that software developers in Southeast Asia and India are rapidly transitioning from using AI assistants for individual tasks to deploying autonomous AI agents across the entire software development lifecycle.

The Agoda AI Developer Report 2026 examines how this transition is changing the way developers work, how organizations manage costs, and where human accountability lies.

Drawing on input from developer communities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and India, the report examines a range of opportunities and challenges shaping the next phase of AI in these markets.

Developers are experiencing greater productivity gains from AI. More than half (55%) now save at least 7 hours every week, compared with 18% in 2025. The usability of AI-generated code has also increased, with 62% saying that it can often or almost always be used without major changes.

AI is also increasingly being used across various development tasks, including code review, architecture, debugging, learning, and documentation. However, human judgment remains important, with 86% of respondents still reviewing or validating AI outputs always or almost always.

Photo: Agoda

More than half (53%) of respondents said AI agents are already being used in certain production workflows or broadly across their organizations. However, only 38% described their codebases as mostly or fully ready for fully autonomous AI agents.

A total of 28% of respondents cited cost as the main barrier to broader AI adoption, followed by integration complexity (24%) and a lack of governance (19%).

The report found that AI costs include not only model calls, but also the work required to design, integrate, review, and validate agents. Four out of five respondents said they currently work with several AI usage constraints, such as token quotas, usage limits, or budget restrictions.

Developers are open to giving AI agents more autonomy for low-risk, reversible tasks, such as documentation. However, as they approach the production stage, the need for human oversight increases, with 79% of respondents saying that they require human approval before deployment to production.

AI is also changing the role of developers. System architecture and design, AI literacy, and agent orchestration are emerging as skills for the future. However, the transition is uneven, with 49% of junior developers saying they feel less confident about their future career prospects, compared with 16.7% of respondents who are CTOs and VPs of Engineering.

Photo: Agoda

According to Agoda Chief Technology Officer Idan Zalzberg, artificial intelligence is reshaping how developers in Southeast Asia and India build, learn, and collaborate. What initially began as a way to accelerate individual tasks is now developing into a broader change in how software is built.

“Across industries, developers are seeing increasingly significant productivity gains and beginning to use agents in more parts of the development lifecycle. However, greater capability brings new responsibilities,” explained Idan Zalzberg in an Agoda press release.

“The true cost lies not only in procuring models, but also in the effort required to make AI trustworthy in production. The organizations that will excel in the next phase will be those that can manage costs carefully, build the right safeguards, and continue to place human judgment where it matters most,” he continued.

The study was commissioned by Agoda and carried out in collaboration with Macramé Consulting. As a digital travel and technology company in the region, Agoda is committed to supporting local technology talent, driving innovation, and sharing insights that help developers and organizations build responsible AI practices.

Agoda’s commitment to innovation is not limited to AI, but also includes offering more than 6 million holiday properties, more than 130,000 flight routes, and more than 300,000 activities, all of which can be combined in a single booking.

For more information and to download the free report, visit the link AGODA AI DEVELOPER REPORT 2026. (Henry)

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