AI Impact on Applied Science Roles

Instacart is analyzing the impact of AI on applied science roles, observing a significant increase in overall productivity (PRs and LoC) driven by AI-powered tools. This has led to a redistribution of tasks, with a decrease in the share of work on standardized ML and data pipeline tasks, and an increase in new task categories like Platform/Tooling and Frontend/UI development. This shift allows applied scientists to take on a more diverse set of responsibilities, leveraging AI to overcome previous skill barriers and reduce coordination costs.