Unread AI-Generated Code Is Quietly Accumulating Into 'Diff Debt'
A growing concern among developers involves merging AI-generated code without fully reading or understanding it, a phenomenon being termed 'diff debt.' A 2026 Sonar survey of over 1,100 developers found that roughly 42% of committed code is now AI-generated, with that figure projected to reach 65% by 2027. Despite 96% of developers distrusting AI-generated code, only about half consistently review it before committing. Average pull request sizes have roughly tripled since widespread AI tool adoption, making thorough review increasingly impractical. Experts suggest risk-tiering code reviews and capping diff sizes to manage the growing gap between what is merged and what is actually understood.
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