Software developers answering a Stack Overflow survey cited reasons for avoiding artificial intelligence (AI) at work or school.
Nearly six in 10 gave a reason; that question received 13,857 responses. The wider survey gathered about 30,000 responses from developers across 169 countries. However, concerns about avoidance existed alongside widespread adoption.
Most respondents reported using coding assistants or agents, while only 6.6% said they were willing to trust AI with important decisions. Stack Overflow shared its findings exclusively with CNN before publishing the results on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, nearly one in three respondents reported unhappiness in their current roles, compared with 28.4% in 2025. Burnout, technology fatigue, economic uncertainty and unclear career prospects featured among their concerns.
Stack Overflow Chief Executive Prashanth Chandrasekar argued that rapid AI development had intensified existing pressures.
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He described demands on experienced programmers to refresh their skills and on entry-level workers to perform beyond their experience.
For software engineer Laura Housh, AI can provide direction or a second opinion. But she sees its lack of context as a barrier to useful coding help.
Housh began using the technology in 2024. She now spends personal time watching AI videos and reading documentation, yet still struggles to keep pace.
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Similarly, software engineer Audrey Eschright, who has 20 years of experience, warned that delegating coding could weaken developers’ understanding of solutions.
“Writing code is how you solve problems,” Eschright said. Nearly six in 10 respondents to Stack Overflow’s AI-avoidance question gave a reason for avoiding the technology at work or school.
