AI Job Worry Index / Programmers
AI Job Worry Index · Software & data · Google Trends, November 2020 to October 2026

Will AI replace programmers?

Search data can't predict that, but it shows how worried people are: programmers rank #4 of 56 jobs for searches asking whether AI will replace them. Those searches fell 12% in the last 12 months. For every one of them there are about 2.6 searches for “AI for programmers”. Searches for “how to become a programmer” are down 51% since the year before ChatGPT.

Worry rank
#4
of 56 jobs
Worry index
100
programmers = 100
Worried searches, last 12 months
−12%
vs the 12 months before
“AI for” searches per worried search
2.6
since November 2022
“How to become a programmer”
−51%
vs the year before ChatGPT

How often people ask whether AI will replace programmers

Worried searches peaked in March 2024. The grey line is programmers, the job most associated with AI, for scale.

Will AI replace programmers

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 programmers, there are about 2.6 searches for “AI for programmers” or “ChatGPT for programmers”.

“AI for programmers” vs “will AI replace programmers”

Monthly, same scale (programmers' worried searches = 100).

Source: Google Trends, worldwide.

Are fewer people trying to become programmers?

Searches for “how to become a programmer” are down 51% 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 programmer”

Monthly average of weekly data, highest week = 100.

Source: Google Trends, worldwide.

What people ask

Top related searches, since November 2020.

  • ai will replace programmers
  • can ai replace programmers
  • will ai replace programmers reddit
  • is ai going to replace programmers
  • chatgpt replace programmers
  • will chatgpt replace programmers

The AI they look for

Top searches related to “AI for programmers”.

  • ai pair programmer

Similar jobs

Will AI replace software engineers?#5 · worry 90Will AI replace data analysts?#11 · worry 41Will AI replace data scientists?#15 · worry 26Will AI replace web developers?#23 · worry 16Will AI replace UX designers?#38 · worry 8.2Will AI replace cybersecurity analysts?#51 · worry 1.2 · few searchesWill AI replace teachers?#2 · worry 131Will AI replace doctors?#3 · worry 106Will AI replace lawyers?#6 · worry 76
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Questions

Will AI replace programmers?

Search data can't predict that, but it shows how worried people are: programmers rank #4 of 56 jobs for searches asking whether AI will replace them. Those searches fell 12% in the last 12 months. For every one of them there are about 2.6 searches for “AI for programmers”. Searches for “how to become a programmer” are down 51% since the year before ChatGPT. Search interest measures worry, not the actual risk to the job.

When did people worry most about AI replacing programmers?

Searches asking whether AI will replace programmers were highest in March 2024 (Google Trends, November 2020 to October 2026).

Are fewer people becoming programmers?

Searches for “how to become a programmer” in the last 12 months are −51% compared with November 2021 – October 2022, the year before ChatGPT. That's interest in getting in, not actual hiring or enrolment.

How do programmers compare with other jobs?

Programmers rank #4 of 56 jobs in the AI Job Worry Index, with a worry index of 100 where programmers = 100. The full ranking is on the index page.