Generative AI Boom 2025: Coding Tools Surge While Legal AI Faces Decline, Says SimilarWeb

Rapid Growth in AI-Powered Coding Tools

Generative AI continues to transform industries, with coding agents leading the surge. SimilarWeb's latest AI Global Report reveals a striking 75% year-over-year increase in traffic for DevOps and Code Completion tools. Platforms like Lovable and Cursor are gaining significant traction, thanks to their seamless integration with IDEs and DevOps pipelines, which help developers automate coding tasks, detect errors, and accelerate workflows.

Disruption in Traditional EdTech by General-Purpose LLMs

Large language models (LLMs) such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Grok have become essential for self-directed learning and on-demand tutoring. DeepSeek, in particular, experienced a phenomenal spike in traffic of over 17,000% YoY before stabilizing. This surge coincides with a 24% decline in traditional EdTech platforms, with legacy names like Chegg and CourseHero seeing steep drops. The data indicates a shift from static educational resources to interactive, conversational AI-powered learning, especially in STEM and writing.

Legal AI Platforms Struggle Amid Usage Fatigue

Unlike the booming coding tools, Legal AI platforms have seen a 73% drop in traffic year-over-year. This downturn suggests challenges in market saturation and the need for more mature, enterprise-ready solutions. Legal professionals appear cautious, awaiting tools that better address complex legal reasoning, jurisdictional nuances, and audit requirements before fully adopting these AI solutions.

Mixed Performance in Video Generation Tools

The Video Generation sector shows a modest 5% overall decline, masking varied platform performances. Kling.ai and RunwayML faced traffic decreases, while Heygen saw a 25% increase, likely due to its focus on commercial applications like synthetic avatars. This indicates that video AI platforms addressing specific business needs with user-friendly interfaces maintain stronger engagement.

Freelance Platforms Impacted by AI Automation

Digital freelance platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork experienced declines of 15% and 19%, respectively, highlighting generative AI's role in automating tasks traditionally done by freelancers. Copywriting, basic design, SEO, and transcription are increasingly AI-driven, pushing the freelance market toward a future of human-AI collaboration. Freelancers adapting to this change by offering AI-enhanced services or specializing in complex tasks may find new opportunities.

Insights from SimilarWeb's AI Global Report

The report underscores a clear division in generative AI adoption: domain-specific tools delivering measurable productivity gains thrive, especially in software development, while generalized or immature solutions see declining engagement. The evolving landscape emphasizes purpose-driven AI integration and tangible ROI, signaling a fundamental shift in digital productivity across sectors.