How often people ask whether AI will replace software engineers
Worried searches peaked in March 2024. The grey line is programmers, the job most associated with AI, for scale.
Will AI replace software engineers
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 software engineers, there are about 9.9 searches for “AI for software engineers” or “ChatGPT for software engineers”.
“AI for software engineers” vs “will AI replace software engineers”
Monthly, same scale (programmers' worried searches = 100).
Source: Google Trends, worldwide.
Are fewer people trying to become software engineers?
Searches for “how to become a software engineer” are down 41% 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 software engineer”
Monthly average of weekly data, highest week = 100.
Source: Google Trends, worldwide.
What people ask
Top related searches, since November 2020.
- will ai replace engineers
- will software engineers be replaced by ai
- will engineers be replaced by ai
- can ai replace engineers
- can ai replace software engineers
The AI they look for
Top searches related to “AI for software engineers”.
- ai engineer jobs
- ai engineering
Similar jobs
Embed or cite
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back. Download the CSV for all 56 jobs.
Questions
Will AI replace software engineers?
Search data can't predict that, but it shows how worried people are: software engineers rank #5 of 56 jobs for searches asking whether AI will replace them. Those searches rose 42% in the last 12 months. For every one of them there are about 9.9 searches for “AI for software engineers”. Searches for “how to become a software engineer” are down 41% since the year before ChatGPT. Search interest measures worry, not the actual risk to the job.
When did people worry most about AI replacing software engineers?
Searches asking whether AI will replace software engineers were highest in March 2024 (Google Trends, November 2020 to October 2026).
Are fewer people becoming software engineers?
Searches for “how to become a software engineer” in the last 12 months are −41% compared with November 2021 – October 2022, the year before ChatGPT. That's interest in getting in, not actual hiring or enrolment.
How do software engineers compare with other jobs?
Software engineers rank #5 of 56 jobs in the AI Job Worry Index, with a worry index of 90 where programmers = 100. The full ranking is on the index page.