The data is in: AI is how developers learn now

AI is now the most common way that new developers learn.

We all knew AI was having an impact on developer go-to-market but it's not just about who or what is writing the code.

In Major League Hacking's latest Season Census of developers globally, 75% of verified respondents use AI in some form to learn technical skills. That’s more than YouTube (71%) and online courses (59%).

So, does this mean that developer GTM is now all about Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)? It seems not.

AI learners use more of everything else

Developers who learn with AI use more of most other learning channels, not less: more YouTube (73% vs 63%), more online courses (61% vs 53%), and more events (37% vs 20%).

43% of AI learners use four or more non-AI learning channels; among non-AI learners, it’s 31%. Only 3% of AI learners rely on AI alone.

Now, some of you might be thinking this is just people who love checking boxes on surveys. But even the lightest box-checkers show the same gap.

Whether it's that AI users are generally more enthused learners, or that learning with AI actively points people at more resources, it seems that AI isn't replacing other learning methods.

AI seems to steer developers toward specific tools

Developers who learn using AI gravitate toward a particular stack.

For example, they're about a third more likely than other developers to be using Firebase and Supabase, with Postgres and MongoDB close behind.

That ties up with other data points in the industry. Supabase CEO Paul Copplestone says that more than 60% of new databases on the platform are now launched by some form of AI tool.

But for most other tools, there's no difference between AI learners and everyone else. So it seems likely that LLMs recommend some options more than others. For developer GTM, that represents a challenge to the developer journey we're used to. AI recommendations squash discovery and learning into a single stage.

So, is developer GTM now all about courting LLMs?

AI learners haven't abandoned other channels. They watch more YouTube, take more courses, show up to more events.

But human developers are no longer the only audience. Mintlify reports that two-thirds of visits to the documentation it hosts now come from agents, not people; that is up from 15% at the start of the year. The docs, tutorials, and examples we write for developers are being read by the models those developers learn from. Messaging, integrations, developer experience: all of it now serves two audiences at once.

The technologies developers encounter today can shape the stacks their companies use tomorrow. We know that 51% of people in the MLH community have introduced a technology they first encountered through one of our programs into their workplace.

So how developers discover new tools matters and AI tools are becoming an increasingly important part of that discovery process. The first recommendation may now come from an LLM, before a developer asks a colleague, searches the web, or visits your website.

At MLH, we help developer tools companies become tools developers choose and take with them into the workplace. If that’s a challenge you’re working on, we’d love to help.