Reveal Survey Report: Top Software Development Challenges for 2025
The 2025 Reveal Survey results confirm a clear shift: AI is no longer the future—it’s the present. The hype is over. AI is now an operational necessity, but most companies are struggling to make it work. The biggest risk companies face today? Falling behind competitors that have mastered AI execution, security, and workforce strategy. Organizations that fail to adapt won’t just struggle—they risk obsolescence.
PART 1: Top Software Challenges in 2025
This report presents key insights from our Reveal Survey, outlining the critical shifts business leaders must understand as AI adoption expands in 2025. To provide deeper context, we compare these findings with our previous data, examining how AI priorities have evolved from 2024 to 2025.
Top Software Challenges Compared to 2024
Following last year’s technology challenges with AI integration and limited resources, tech leaders have pinpointed digital trust as a crucial challenge in software development for 2025, according to the sixth annual Reveal 2025 Top Software Development Challenges survey from Infragistics.
Respondents identified security (51%), AI code reliability (45%), and data privacy (41%) among their biggest software development challenges for 2025
The Top Priority for 2025 is to Expand the Use of AI Within Organizations
The main priority in 2025 is AI adoption, with 73% of tech leaders planning to expand the use of AI within organizations in the next year. However, 55% also find that AI deployment will be the biggest challenge they face.
Many companies initially adopted AI for automation and efficiency gains. Now, the focus shifts to stabilizing AI workflows, improving reliability, and securing AI applications. Those that fail to refine their implementation risk falling behind competitors who prioritize optimization.
Struggles with Resource Allocation are a Cause for Concern
Tech leaders plan to optimize resource utilization in 2025 by integrating and expanding the use of AI (42%). Companies are not looking to replace workers with AI, but rather to incorporate these tools into their current workflows to better manage tasks.
Expanding into new markets, taking on new projects, and managing increased requests for proposals remain low priorities—with less than 20% of tech leaders including them in their expansion plans.
The Tech Talent Crisis Deepens
The AI talent shortage, which had shown some improvement in 2024, has worsened in 2025—especially in AI and cybersecurity roles. Companies that rapidly adopted AI now lack the specialized workforce needed to scale, refine, and secure their AI-driven infrastructure.
There is a strong demand for skilled AI engineers, with 28% of tech leaders finding it challenging to fill these positions. Although AI has helped optimize workflows, it has also generated new roles that remain difficult to fill.
Security is Now the Top Software Concern for Companies Moving Forward
Tech leaders now identify security (51%) and data privacy (41%) as the biggest challenges—along with AI deployment (44%) and the quality/reliability of AI code (45%).
Security can no longer be an afterthought. It must be integrated into AI development from the start, with companies needing real-time threat detection, AI auditing, and compliance-driven security measures to stay ahead of evolving threats.
The Rise of BI and Embedded Analytics
In 2024, 81% of tech leaders reported that their organizations integrate embedded analytics and business intelligence apps into their products.
Data-driven decision-making is no longer optional—it’s a competitive necessity. Companies that fail to leverage AI-powered insights, predictive analytics, and real-time monitoring risk falling behind.
Organizations that invest in seamless analytics integration, AI-powered decision-making, and real-time data accessibility will gain a competitive edge.
Companies Continue to Grow in 2024
In 2024, companies experienced growth—with 67% increasing their staff, 82% taking on new projects, 72% receiving more requests for proposals, and 80% reporting increased revenue.
