Only 41% of teams automatically check AI-written code before merge
NOIDA -- November 13, 2026 -- Only 41% of software teams run any automated check on AI-written code before merge, while 44% report more escaped defects or production incidents as AI-written code has grown, according to the State of AI in Quality Engineering 2026 report from TestMu AI (formerly LambdaTest).
By our calculation, 59% of the teams surveyed merge AI-written code with no automated pre-merge check. At 40% of teams, AI now writes more than half of production code, the report says. Overall, 97% of teams use AI in testing or plan to, which leaves about 3% outside the trend.
Teams without separate CI tests report rising escaped defects 11 points more often
Manual review is the most common safeguard, used by 55% of teams. A QA hand-off after the code is written follows at 51%. Both checks happen after the code exists, and the shares overlap, so some teams use both.