Generative Artificial Intelligence for Software Development and Automation: A Compre hensive Review

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has emerged as a transformative paradigm in software engineering, fundamentally altering how software is designed, developed, tested, and maintained. Leveraging large language models (LLMs), deep learning, and transformer-based architectures, generative AI enables automation of coding tasks, enhances developer productivity, andintroduces new workflows such as AI-assisted programming and autonomous agents. This paper presents a comprehensive review of generative AI in software development and automation,synthesizing recent literature on its applications, benefits, limitations, and future directions.The findings suggest that while GenAI significantly improves efficiency and accelerates development cycles, it also introduces challenges related to code quality, security, and reliability. Thestudy emphasizes the importance of human-in-the-loop systems and governance frameworks forresponsible adoption.