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

# AI impact in different work functions

AI is considered useful or very useful for implementation (75%), debugging (73%), documentation (66%), and review (64%).

Asked as: When using AI tools or AI agents at work, how useful has AI proven itself for the task or activity? Select one answer for each. (`AIImpact`, scale, optional, v2026.1)

## Options offered

1. Design
2. Implementation
3. Review
4. Debugging/refactoring
5. Documentation
6. Architecture exploration
7. Communication

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 12,734

|  | Not applicable | No strong opinion | More impractical than useful, not useful | Useful | Very useful |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Architecture exploration | 12.6% | 18.9% | 9.4% | 34.4% | 24.7% |
| Communication | 18.8% | 23.6% | 22.6% | 21.8% | 13.2% |
| Debugging/refactoring | 4.8% | 13.7% | 8.8% | 38.1% | 34.5% |
| Design | 17.2% | 19.3% | 14.3% | 30.7% | 18.5% |
| Documentation | 10.1% | 14.6% | 9.6% | 30.4% | 35.3% |
| Implementation | 3.9% | 12.5% | 9.0% | 40.3% | 34.3% |
| Review | 10.0% | 16.7% | 8.8% | 37.2% | 27.3% |

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