A Structural Relationship Analysis among AI Dependence, Perceived Productivity, and Technical Debt Risk in AI Coding Tool Use

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Dependence on AI coding tools increases both perceived productivity and the risk of technical debt among developers, and this dependence is driven by higher usage frequency and lower verification propensity rather than general trust in AI. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Sungche Jung; Hyunchul Ahn

doi:10.14801/jkiit.2026.24.8.231

August 31, 2026The Journal of Korean Institute of Information Technology

A Structural Relationship Analysis among AI Dependence, Perceived Productivity, and Technical Debt Risk in AI Coding Tool Use

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Key Points

To investigate the factors driving developer dependence on generative AI coding tools and evaluate how dependence influences perceived productivity and technical debt risk.
Surveyed software development practitioners with prior experience using AI-based coding assistants (N=200).
Conducted partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess structural paths between trust propensity, verification propensity, usage frequency, AI dependence, productivity, and technical debt risk.
Higher AI usage frequency significantly increased AI dependence, whereas a strong verification propensity significantly reduced dependence; general AI trust propensity had no significant effect.
AI dependence significantly elevated both perceived developer productivity and the perceived risk of accumulating technical debt.

Implication

Structural equation modeling study reveals increased productivity alongside elevated technical debt risk in software developers, highlighting the dual-edged nature of automated coding tools.

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Cite This Study

Jung et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9934ea636c6408cfa7cbb6 https://doi.org/10.14801/jkiit.2026.24.8.231

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A Structural Relationship Analysis among AI Dependence, Perceived Productivity, and Technical Debt Risk in AI Coding Tool Use

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

A Structural Relationship Analysis among AI Dependence, Perceived Productivity, and Technical Debt Risk in AI Coding Tool Use

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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