How often people ask whether AI will replace professors
Worried searches peaked in May 2026. The grey line is programmers, the job most associated with AI, for scale.
Will AI replace professors
Monthly. Programmers' average since November 2022 = 100. Hover or use the arrow keys for values.
Source: Google Trends, worldwide.
Curiosity vs worry
For every search asking whether AI will replace professors, there are about 55 searches for “AI for professors” or “ChatGPT for professors”.
“AI for professors” vs “will AI replace professors”
Monthly, same scale (programmers' worried searches = 100).
Source: Google Trends, worldwide.
Are fewer people trying to become professors?
Searches for “how to become a professor” are up 23% on the year before ChatGPT. It's a rough signal of how many people want to get into the job, not of hiring.
“how to become a professor”
Monthly average of weekly data, highest week = 100.
Source: Google Trends, worldwide.
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Questions
Will AI replace professors?
Search data can't predict that, but it shows how worried people are: professors rank #19 of 56 jobs for searches asking whether AI will replace them. Those searches rose 346% in the last 12 months. For every one of them there are about 55 searches for “AI for professors”. Searches for “how to become a professor” are up 23% since the year before ChatGPT. Search interest measures worry, not the actual risk to the job.
When did people worry most about AI replacing professors?
Searches asking whether AI will replace professors were highest in May 2026 (Google Trends, November 2020 to October 2026).
Are fewer people becoming professors?
Searches for “how to become a professor” in the last 12 months are +23% compared with November 2021 – October 2022, the year before ChatGPT. That's interest in getting in, not actual hiring or enrolment.
How do professors compare with other jobs?
Professors rank #19 of 56 jobs in the AI Job Worry Index, with a worry index of 21 where programmers = 100. The full ranking is on the index page.