Control over information used by AI — Knowledge data 2026 | Stack Overflow Developer Survey

Developer Survey 2026

Question

When using AI tools or agents for work, how much control do you usually have over the work information they use?

single select
Optional
v2026.1

Data

	Respondents	Percent
I decide exactly what information to give the AI tool	5,928	44.8%
I choose from available sources, files, or systems	2,549	19.3%
I do not use AI tools or agents for work	1,751	13.2%
The AI tool chooses the information automatically	1,374	10.4%
I am not sure what information the AI tool uses	830	6.3%
Someone else manages what information the AI tool can access	811	6.1%

Use this data

Citation

Response data is released under the ODbL 1.0, which asks that you attribute it.

Stack Exchange Inc. (2026). “Control over information used by AI”. Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2026. Licensed under ODbL 1.0. https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/knowledge/data/know-agent-trust

JSON

Structured for code, with the question, the year and the source url alongside the numbers.

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  "question": "Control over information used by AI",
  "dataId": "KnowAgentTrust",
  "asked": "When using AI tools or agents for work, how much control do you usually have over the work information they use?",
  "year": "2026",
  "url": "https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/knowledge/data/know-agent-trust",
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  "data": [
    {
      "response": "I decide exactly what information to give the AI tool",
      "count": 5928,
      "pct": 0.448
    },
    {
      "response": "I choose from available sources, files, or systems",
      "count": 2549,
      "pct": 0.193
    },
    {
      "response": "I do not use AI tools or agents for work",
      "count": 1751,
      "pct": 0.132
    },
    {
      "response": "The AI tool chooses the information automatically",
      "count": 1374,
      "pct": 0.104
    },
    {
      "response": "I am not sure what information the AI tool uses",
      "count": 830,
      "pct": 0.063
    },
    {
      "response": "Someone else manages what information the AI tool can access",
      "count": 811,
      "pct": 0.061
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Markdown

A formatted table, ready to paste into a document, an issue or a prompt.

|  | Respondents | Percent |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| I decide exactly what information to give the AI tool | 5,928 | 44.8% |
| I choose from available sources, files, or systems | 2,549 | 19.3% |
| I do not use AI tools or agents for work | 1,751 | 13.2% |
| The AI tool chooses the information automatically | 1,374 | 10.4% |
| I am not sure what information the AI tool uses | 830 | 6.3% |
| Someone else manages what information the AI tool can access | 811 | 6.1% |

Spreadsheet

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