Towards an Appropriate Level of Reliance on AI: A Preliminary Reliance-Control Framework for AI in Software Engineering
Abstract
How software developers interact with Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tools, including Large Language Models (LLMs), plays a vital role in how these AI-powered tools impact them. While overreliance on AI may lead to long-term negative consequences (e.g., atrophy of critical thinking skills); underreliance might deprive software developers of potential gains in productivity and quality. Based on twenty-two interviews with software developers on using LLMs for software development, we propose a preliminary reliance-control framework where the level of control can be used as a way to identify AI overreliance and underreliance. We also use it to recommend future research to further explore the different control levels supported by the current and emergent LLM-driven tools. Our paper contributes to the emerging discourse on AI overreliance and provides an understanding of the appropriate degree of reliance as essential to developers making the most of these powerful technologies. Our findings can help practitioners, educators, and policymakers promote responsible and effective use of AI tools.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.10530,
title = {Towards an Appropriate Level of Reliance on AI: A Preliminary Reliance-Control Framework for AI in Software Engineering},
author = {Samuel Ferino and Rashina Hoda and John Grundy and Christoph Treude},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.10530},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication at the 2nd Workshop on Human-Centered AI for SE (HumanAISE) held at the 34th ACM International Conference on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE Companion '26), July 5-9, 2026, Montreal, Quebec, Canada