International Journal of Contemporary Research in Multidisciplinary

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into software engineering practices has emerged as a transformative force, fundamentally reshaping how software is designed, developed, tested, and maintained. This comprehensive research paper examines the multifaceted role of AI in enhancing software engineering practices through systematic analysis of current applications, empirical evidence, and future trajectories. Drawing from extensive literature review and statistical analysis of recent industry studies, this research investigates AI's impact across various software development lifecycle phases, including code generation, testing automation, project management, and quality assurance. The research reveals that AI-powered tools have demonstrated significant improvements in developer productivity, with recent studies showing completion rates 26-55% faster than traditional methods and substantial adoption rates reaching 71% of organizations. However, the analysis also uncovers challenges related to code quality, security implications, and mixed results in stability metrics. This paper provides insights into emerging trends, identifies key opportunities and challenges, and offers evidence-based recommendations for successful AI integration in software engineering organizations.