---
title: "AI’s impact on Stack Overflow usage — Community data 2026"
url: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/community/data/so-change
year: 2026
chapter: "community"
question: "SOChange"
section: "Finding and trusting answers"
licence: "ODbL 1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/)"
---

# AI’s impact on Stack Overflow usage

AI has fundamentally changed Stack Overflow's role as a resource for answers. 64% visit less for simple questions, 29% ask fewer questions, and 27% contribute less. Only 1.2% contribute more. However, 16% now visit more specifically for verification — meaning SO is shifting from "ask" to "verify." A small segment (6%) visit more because AI-generated answers lead them to SO for source attribution.

Asked as: How has AI changed your Stack Overflow usage? Select all that apply. (`SOChange`, multi select, optional, v2026.1)

## Options offered

1. Visit less for simple questions
2. Visit more for verification (for example, source attribution)
3. Ask fewer questions
4. Ask more advanced questions
5. Contribute less
6. Contribute more
7. Visit SO more because AI-generated answers lead you there
8. Other
9. No change

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 16,985

|  | Respondents | Percent |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Visit less for simple questions | 10,892 | 64.1% |
| Ask fewer questions | 4,910 | 28.9% |
| Contribute less | 4,496 | 26.5% |
| No change | 3,704 | 21.8% |
| Visit more for verification (for example, source attribution) | 2,707 | 15.9% |
| Other | 1,084 | 6.4% |
| Ask more advanced questions | 967 | 5.7% |
| Visit SO more because AI-generated answers lead you there | 965 | 5.7% |
| Contribute more | 203 | 1.2% |

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