---
title: "AI avoidance — AI data 2026"
url: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/ai/data/ai-avoid
year: 2026
chapter: "ai"
question: "AIAvoid"
section: "AI at work"
licence: "ODbL 1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/)"
---

# AI avoidance

59% intentionally avoid AI for some reason. Skill loss/job replacement (17%) exceeds ethical (15%), privacy/security (13%), environmental (8%), or training concerns (3%).

Asked as: Do you try to avoid using AI tools or agents at work or school? Select the option below that most accurately reflects your reasoning. (`AIAvoid`, single select, optional, v2026.1)

## Options offered

1. Environmental concerns
2. Concern over losing job skills or training an AI to replace you
3. Issues with privacy or security
4. Moral or ethical concerns
5. Difficulty or lack of training
6. I do not avoid using AI at work or school
7. Other, please specify: (with free-text entry)

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 13,857

|  | Respondents | Percent |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| I do not avoid using AI at work or school | 5,728 | 41.3% |
| Concern over losing job skills or training an AI to replace you | 2,367 | 17.1% |
| Moral or ethical concerns | 2,108 | 15.2% |
| Issues with privacy or security | 1,802 | 13.0% |
| Environmental concerns | 1,129 | 8.2% |
| Other, please specify: | 369 | 2.7% |
| Difficulty or lack of training | 354 | 2.6% |

In context: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/ai/data.md